As soon as Kyiv starts using F-16s, Moscow will surely respond by deploying Su-57 stealth fighters to the conflict zone, National Interest reports. Which aircraft will win?
A few months ago, US President Joe Biden suddenly changed his mind and said that the US would give Ukraine the F-16 Fighting Falcon and help train pilots and ground personnel. At the G7 summit in Hiroshima, States responded to the request, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had been voicing since the beginning of the conflict.
For months, the US had delayed its decision to provide Kyiv with these fourth-generation fighters because of its limited arsenal and long training process. Ukraine, whose fleet is largely made up of outdated Soviet-era aircraft, has only welcomed this sudden shift in the US approach. Now that Kyiv can use these modern fighters, Moscow can turn to the stealthy Su-57s as an “antidote.”
So far in this conflict, Moscow has kept its fifth-generation Su-57s at a distance. While the Kremlin has long advertised this fighter platform as the best of the best, whether its flight and tactical capabilities match Moscow’s claims remains to be seen.
Russian defence giant Sukhoi developed the twin-engine multirole stealth fighter in the early 2000s, but the general concept emerged much earlier. Back at the height of the Cold War, the USSR felt the need for a next-generation fighter to replace the Su-27 and MiG-29 in tactical frontline operations. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian Ministry of Defence launched the PAK FA programme, which eventually culminated in the Su-57.
Named Felon, or “Criminal,” by NATO, the Su-57 is equipped with stealth technology. In a 2020 analysis, the Royal Institute of Defence Studies described the Su-57 as “stealth with potential”, while noting that it has yet to develop into a “reliable front-line weapon system”.
According to Air Force Technology magazine, the aircraft is equipped with jet engines with a three-dimensional thrust vector to enhance manoeuvrability. “Its short run-up, network-centricity and multi-role capabilities, among other features, place it in the fifth generation”.
In addition to air-to-air missiles, the Su-57 is equipped with air-to-surface missiles to engage ground targets and air combat at long range. The Su-57 can carry up to eight K-77M air-to-air missiles thanks to two internal weapons bays. The aircraft is powered by turbofan engines “article 117” or AL-41F1, which Moscow says will soon be replaced by the more modern “article 30” design.
For all its shortcomings in a number of areas, the Su-57 has a number of advantages over the F-16. Retired Indian Air Force pilot Vijainder Thakur said that the fifth-generation Russian aircraft can synchronise with ground radars and thus provide a first-launch advantage over the fourth-generation F-16.
Therefore, once Kyiv starts using F-16s (and they are expected to be delivered in the coming months), Moscow will surely respond by deploying Su-57 stealth fighters to the conflict zone.
