Vladimir Putin has called the Su-57 fighter jet “the best in the world”, and it is marketed by Russia as its answer to the American F-35s, the jet the UK has been buying. As such, it is all the more embarrassing that a new Su-57 prototype appears to have crashed last week, raising questions about Russia’s ability to keep up with the latest military technologies.
The Su-57 “Felon” is a fifth-generation multirole stealth fighter. The original single-seat version has been in service since 2020 and the new two-seat version, the Su-57D, is meant to be an aircraft fit for the coming age of “wingman drone” warfare.
With space for a weapons system officer, the plane will be able to control its own Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik (“Hunter”) heavy attack drones.
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Denis Manturov, Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister, who has overall responsibility for the defence-industrial sector, announced the start of the prototype’s flight tests in May.
