Beijing – Russia has landed the SU-57 stealth fighter jet for the first time in a show of power in China. The Russian SU-57 aircraft landed at Taiyuan Airbase in Shanxi province of northern China. The SU-57 was first displayed internationally at the Dubai Airshow in November 2017. However, the SU-57 did not fly in this airshow, but just stood like a statue. At that time it was a prototype of the aircraft and was undergoing testing. This aircraft first flew in 2010. It is not yet known whether the SU-57 fighter aircraft will fly at the Zhuhai Airshow 2024 to be held from 12 to 17 November 2024.
So far the SU-57 aircraft has not demonstrated its flights at any international air show outside Russia. However, it has demonstrated its flight capabilities at the MAKS air show near Moscow in 2019 and 2021. The Su-57 photographed while landing in Taiyuan has the Bort number 54, which suggests that it is a prototype that was probably manufactured before 2019. Bort 51 was one of the fighters that participated in MAKS 2019 and Bort 57 was on static display at the air show.
The Su-57 fighter that arrived in China is powered by the AL-41FF1 engine, befitting its prototype status. The new variant of the Su-57 is expected to be powered by the fighter’s State 2 powerplant, the Izdeliye 30 engine. According to Russian media reports, serial production of the Su-57 powered by the Izdeliye 30 engine will begin in 2024. This will give the Su-57 fighter more power and also reduce maintenance costs.
The participation of SU-57 in Zhuhai Airshow is aimed at highlighting the deepening defence ties between Russia and China and making Russian adversaries understand the strategic implications of defence cooperation and technology sharing between Russia and China. The purpose of the possible participation of SU-57 in Zhuhai Airshow is not to find new buyers. It just wants to show how much importance Russia is giving to defence relations with its friend China. This is also because everyone knows that SU-57 is still undergoing testing and the Russian Air Force itself has not yet included this aircraft in its fleet. In such a situation, no country would want to buy this aircraft worth crores of rupees just like that.
