The fifth-generation Russian Su-57 fighter is actively used as part of the military special operation, participating in both air combat and ground strikes. This was stated by the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Denis Manturov.
According to a foreign media outlet, the deputy prime minister of the Russian government confirmed the use of the Su-57 in the context of the special operation, noting that the aircraft is used to destroy air and ground targets.
The Su-57s are likely flying over Russian territory to launch long-range air-to-surface or air-to-air missiles into Ukraine, thereby avoiding detection and shoot-down by Ukrainian air defense systems.
According to him, during the special operation, other aircraft were "tried" in combat conditions, in particular the Su-35 and Su-34. All Russian military aircraft demonstrate high performance, "which only fuels potential buyers' interest in them," he said.
The main fighters of the Russian Aerospace Forces participating in the special operation in Ukraine are the Su-35S, Su-30SM, Su-57 and have been involved in operations almost from the beginning, and this has been repeatedly reported.
In June of last year, the then Deputy Prime Minister Yuriy Borisov said that, the fifth generation fighter is actively used in Ukraine, and this is not an isolated case. The aircraft was tested in combat conditions, used alone and in groups in sorties.
Among Felon's long-range weapons, the R-37M long-range air-to-air missile is of particular concern to Ukrainian pilots. The R-37M is a long-range air-to-air missile (AAM), capable of engaging high-speed aerial targets from more than 300 kilometers.
Combined with a Su-57 that has stealth features, this missile becomes even more deadly. Western experts believe the missile is designed to defeat airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft and other high-value assets.
If the Su-57 is as stealthy as its American counterparts, the aircraft is expected to fly undetected within Ukrainian airspace to suppress enemy air defenses.
Norway, a founding member of the Atlantic Alliance, which shares a little less than 200 kilometers of land border and the Barents Sea with Russia, has undertaken with its Lockheed-Martin F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters to provide protection, often against the Russian Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker, Su-35 Flanker-E and Su-57.
According to a foreign media outlet, currently, about thirty Lockheed-Martin F-35A Lightning IIs are serving with the Luftforsvaret, including units deployed in the United States, for advanced training and operational transformation. Norway is one of the first European countries to make a full transition to this 5th generation fighter, from the General Dynamics F-16MLU Fighting Falcon.
And for Lockheed-Martin, feedback from Norwegian pilots is essential because they are flying air defense missions in one of the most sensitive circumstances: facing an expansionist and aggressive neighbor. And for the Norwegian crews and pilots the aggression of their Russian counterparts is no mystery, they have already fallen victim!
Except now Moscow must face a fighter much more modern than any of its planes in the region.
Day and night, then, Norwegian pilots are on the lookout, both to intercept Russian planes flirting with the 196-kilometer land border and those operating over the Barents Sea. And every time the fighters sent by Moscow, as well as the spy planes and those of the sea patrol, operate with closed transponders.
On the other hand, it should be noted that the Norwegian fighters resort to a degradation of stealth, carrying air-to-air missiles under the wings rather than internally.
However, reports of Su-57s being operated by Russian airspace security suggest a minimal role for Russia's first stealth aircraft and only fifth-generation fighter jet, which Russia touts as a plane that outperforms the F-22 and F-35 .
We will say that, if the Su-57 is as stealthy as its American counterparts, the aircraft can be expected to fly undetected within Ukrainian airspace to suppress enemy air defenses.
