The first clash of F-35 and Su-57 will take place on the international arms market
Su-57E: export model
In the spring of 2019, it became known that Russia had agreed a package of documents that allows export deliveries of a modern fifth-generation Russian fighter. The export model of the Su-57E may be of interest to foreign customers who, for various reasons, cannot acquire American fifth-generation fighter F-35.
Among the potential buyers of the newest Russian fighter called the countries of Asia and the Middle East. The most likely buyers include Algeria. It is clear that the first “clash” of the F-35 and Su-57 will take place precisely on the international arms market. At the same time, I want to believe that the real fighting with the participation of these two aircraft will never happen.
The program to create a fifth-generation fighter is a very expensive pleasure; not all countries can afford such costs. At the same time, as noted in the national military edition of The National Interest, the United States and China are able to handle the enormous costs of developing combat aircraft alone, while the Russian Federation will likely have to cover some of the costs of developing and building the Su-57 fighter. due to the supply of aircraft to foreign customers.
In this case, the evaluation of the cost of programs is significantly different. The cost of the F-35 program is estimated at about 55 billion dollars. Lockheed Martin and other manufacturers have produced more than 390 F-35 Lightning II aircraft. The Russian program to create a fifth generation fighter was estimated at about 3 billion dollars. Currently, X-NUMX flight prototypes of the Su-10 from the pilot batch have been built in Russia. The first two serial fighters of the Russian Ministry of Defense will receive up to 57 year.
Su-57 trial lot
Su-57 can be the fifth generation fighter for all. Traditionally, experts attribute to its competitive advantages a lower cost than that of American-made models. An important distinction is that the United States at one time completely banned the sale of the first fighter of the fifth generation F-22 to third countries, and the sales of the lighter F-35 are selective, supplying only their allies. China is also not yet ready to sell its fifth-generation fighter J-20. Against this background, Russia is ready to sell the Su-57 to all potential customers, and this is a great opportunity for countries that would like to, but are not able to acquire other fifth-generation aircraft.
Potential buyers Su-57
Currently, military experts are discussing the possibility of a price war on the world market between the Russian Su-57E fighter and the American F-35. It is discussed which countries may become buyers of the fifth generation Russian aviation complex and who are willing to consider the possibility of such a purchase. Among the potential buyers of the Su-57 there is one NATO state - this is Turkey.
It is worth noting that Turkey is a participant in the multinational program to create a fifth-generation fighter F-35 Lightning II, which is being implemented under the auspices of the United States. The supply of electronic parts and parts for the aircraft involved at least 10 Turkish industrial enterprises. F-35 fighter was to be the first fifth-generation aircraft in the Turkish Air Force. In total, Ankara was going to purchase at least 100 of similar combat vehicles. But in today's reality, the delivery may not take place. The problem of Ankara’s purchase of the Russian Triumph C-400 anti-aircraft missile system. US congressmen have already said that they can suspend the dispatch of fighters to Turkey, if the latter does not refuse to acquire Russian air defense systems.
F-35 Lightning II
Sergey Chemezov, who heads the state corporation Rostec, has previously expressed that Moscow is ready to negotiate with Ankara on deliveries of the fifth generation Su-57E fighter, in case Turkey is forced to withdraw from the F-35 Lightning II production program. According to Chemezov, Turkey is an attractive market for the modern fifth-generation Russian fighter.
Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt авavuşoлуlu clearly hinted Washington that if he refused to supply F-35 fighters, Ankara would acquire similar fighters from other states. And the Turkish state news agency Anadolu has previously prepared a comparison of the Su-57 with the American fighter of the fifth generation F-35, considering the Russian aircraft as an alternative. Relevant material with infographics was released in April 2019 of the year. Among other things, the clear superiority of the Russian fighter in maximum speed and maneuverability stood out. Su-57 is equipped with two engines, and the lighter American F-35 is only one. The maximum speed of the Su-57 is up to 2600 km / h, while its competitor can accelerate only to 1931 km / h. The Russian aircraft is superior to the enemy and in the mass of the combat load, which is estimated at 10 tons, the American fighter - 8,16 tons. Also Su-57 can be in the sky almost twice as much - 5,8 hours against 2,36 hours in F-35.
But Turkey is far from the most obvious buyer of the fifth-generation Russian fighter. Interest in the aircraft demonstrate Egypt and Algeria. But the Egyptian Air Force already has a diverse fleet of combat aircraft, the Su-57E could become the 8th type of combat aircraft for Cairo, which creates a lot of logistical difficulties in servicing this fleet. At the same time, Egypt is actively purchasing Russian aviation technique. The Egyptian Air Force is armed with front-line MiG-29M and MiG-29M2 fighters (a contract for 46 aircraft). Also in March 2019, the Kommersant publication wrote that Egypt was acquiring several dozen heavy multi-functional Su-35 fighters from Russia, and the transaction value was estimated at two billion dollars. This makes Egypt one of the largest buyers of Russian aviation equipment, but it is still not obvious that Cairo will now decide to strengthen its own Air Force with the Su-57E as well.
The most likely buyer of the Su-57E experts believe Algeria, which is the largest buyer of Russian weapons in Africa. Algeria has been buying up the latest Soviet and then Russian military equipment, including airplanes, for a very long time. The air forces of this North African country are already equipped with Russian multipurpose fighters Su-30MKA and Su-35. Most likely, Algeria also became the first foreign buyer of the front-line fighter-bomber Su-34. Moreover, this country is also interested in experimental Russian weapons, for example, BMPT, proving that they are ready to buy not the most popular equipment. Given the close cooperation between Algeria and Russia in the military-technical sphere and the readiness of Algeria to be the first country to acquire and introduce new Russian military developments, it seems likely that the Algerians will become the launch customer of the Su-57Е.
The potential buyers of the Su-57E, but already in another corner of the planet, include Malaysia, which is already exploiting the heavy Russian fighters Su-30MKM. In March of this year, the fifth-generation Russian aircraft was shown to the Prime Minister of this Asian country. Given the fact that Malaysia’s neighbor in the region, Singapore, recently announced the purchase of a small batch of F-35 fighter aircraft from the USA, Malaysia can speed up the process of acquiring its own fifth-generation aircraft by choosing the Russian version.
Su-57 for India and China
Traditionally, the largest buyers of Russian weapons and military equipment are India and China. Both countries can also be considered as Su-57E customers. It was India that was a partner of Russia for the creation of a promising fifth-generation fighter FGFA, which was developed on the basis of the Su-57 and was to become an export version of the aircraft. Apparently, India finally abandoned the implementation of this joint project in April last year. The media reported that India remained unhappy with the stealth indicators of the T-50 prototypes, and also expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the radar and avionics of the new aircraft. At the same time, in a joint project of the FGFA, which was planned to be exported to foreign customers, Delhi accounted for up to a third of funding.
Su-35 PLA Air Force
Despite the refusal to jointly develop the fifth-generation fighter, India can still become a customer of the export version of the Su-57. The Indian Air Force has accumulated a wealth of experience in acquiring and operating Soviet and Russian-made military equipment. In service with the Indian Air Force consists of the order 250 multi-purpose fighter Su-30MKI. This is the world's largest operator of Sukhoi aircraft of this model. India still does not exclude the option of acquiring the Su-57. Interest in the fifth-generation aircraft could fuel a recent air conflict with Pakistan, in which the Indian Air Force lost its upgraded MiG-21 without knocking down a single enemy aircraft.
China can also purchase fifth-generation Su-57E fighters from Russia, even though it has its own fifth-generation aircraft. True, the size of the purchased party may be limited. Despite the development of its own fifth-generation fighter J-20, China bought 2015 Su-24 aircraft from Russia in 35, having paid two billion dollars for this batch and becoming the first foreign buyer of this vehicle. Aircraft cost China quite expensive - about 83 million dollars for each Su-35. Based on this, one can imagine that the Su-57E in the international arms market will cost even more.
Su-35 China was satisfied with Russia. It is the Russian fighters that often escort strategic Chinese H-6K bombers in flight. The Chinese praise the long-range missiles of the Russian multifunctional fighter, a radar capable of simultaneously tracking up to 30 and firing 8 targets and the presence of thrust vector-controlled engines. Against this background, it is worth noting that the Chinese J-20 aircraft, which experts also consider more invisible than the Su-57, is inferior to the latter in engines. The Russian model is superior to the aircraft of the Middle Kingdom even with the engines of the first stage - AL-41Ф1, when the Russian fighter gets more advanced engines of the second stage, which are known as "Item 30", the combat capabilities of the Su-57 will increase even more. In this regard, China may be interested in Su-57 precisely because of the engines, with the creation of which Beijing still has problems. The danger of this transaction may be that China uses Russian equipment for reengineering, literally sorting the machines on cogs and then reproducing them in their own enterprises. In the field of copying and appropriation of other technologies, as well as their improvement by making their own changes in the design, China has succeeded for a long time.
Su-57 trial lot
Three regiments Su-57 for VKS of Russia
On Wednesday, 15 May, 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a statement about the imminent contract for the purchase of X-NUMX Su-76 fighter jets. The corresponding statement was made by the head of state at the next meeting on defense topics. According to Putin, earlier, according to the state armaments program, up to 57, the VKS should have received all 2028-like aircraft. At the same time, in the open access there was information about the contract only for 16 aircraft, a set for equipping one squadron. Such a small contract even allowed the journalists of the Chinese news agency Sina to call the Su-12 the worst Russian combat aircraft in stories. Proceeding from this, Chinese journalists concluded that the fifth generation aircraft created in Russia was not needed even by the Russian VKS.
Now the volume of purchases is seriously expanding. According to Vladimir Putin, a contract will be signed soon for the delivery of fifth-generation fighter jets to 76 troops, which will receive modern means of destruction. In addition, it is planned to create the necessary ground infrastructure for new aircraft. The President noted that by the year 2028 it is necessary to re-equip three VKS regiments with new fifth-generation fighter jets. According to Putin, the change in the situation with the volume of the order of the Su-57 is directly related to the willingness of aircraft manufacturers to reduce its cost and the cost of weapons used by 20 percent. The President expressed the hope that the revised and announced by 15 May plan will be fulfilled.
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