A Russian Su-57 stealth fighter reportedly shoots down a Ukrainian Su-27 aircraft

FLY – Su-57 stealth fighter Russia reported shooting down a Su-27 fighter jet Ukraine with the R-37M missile. If confirmed, this would be the first “kill” record of Moscow’s fifth-generation fighter jet.

Reports from several Russian local media were cited EurAsian Timeson Thursday (10/20/2022), claimed that the Ukrainian Su-27 was barely moving above a safe altitude to intercept drone Kamikaze Geran-2 when it was shot down by a Su-57 with an R-37M missile.

According to the report, the Su-57 was most likely responsible for launching the missile, as AWACS in Poland and Romania operating in 24/7 mode was unable to detect it.

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The report did not specify the date and place of the incident in question, but would have occurred on 10 October, when a number of Ukrainians reported missile attacks with fighter aircraft on that date.

It is important to remember that the R-37M air-to-air missile can also be launched from the MiG-31 and Su-35 Flanker.

It was previously widely reported that MiG-31 fighters used similar missiles to hit targets in Ukraine. In line with this, Samuel Ramani, an expert in foreign and defense policy,tweet that the Russian MiG-31 aircraft armed with R-37M missiles and Kinzhal hypersonic missiles recently landed in Belarus.

On October 9, Guy Pelosi, a defense analyst, also shared a photo of the MiG-31BM equipped with four R-37M long-range air-to-air missiles under the fuselage.

“Interesting photo uploaded from the Telegram page Fighter-bomber showing the crowd-sourced equipment displayed in front of the MiG-31BM. Notice what appear to be four long-range R-37M air-to-air missiles under the fuselage, ”Pelosi tweeted.

Meanwhile, General Sergei Surovikin, Russia’s new commander for the war in Ukraine, confirmed the use of the Su-57 fighter in combat missions on Tuesday (10/18/2022).

“In terms of the quality of combat use, I especially wanted to choose the fifth generation Su-57 multifunctional aircraft. Possessing a wide range of weapons, it fulfills the multifaceted task of hitting air and ground targets in any sortie, “he said.

General Surovikin’s comments indicate that the Su-57 is used in both air-to-air and air-to-ground roles and has achieved success in both roles.

General Surovikin did not comment on media reports that a Russian Su-57 had shot down a Ukrainian Su-27 for the first time.

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