Su-57 fighters of the Russian Air Force shoot down Ukrainian planes one after another with R-37M missiles

British MI6 intelligence sources claim that Russian Su-57 fighter jets are using ultra-long-range R-37M missiles to destroy Ukrainian planes.

In March 2022, the fifth-generation Russian Su-57 fighter jet took part in hostilities in Ukraine for the first time. Since then, the media has repeatedly reported on what tasks this type of fighter aircraft performed during the NWO. Today, military experts from the pro-Western Military Watch Magazine talk about it. According to the statements, in the first months of the NMO, these aircraft participated in airstrikes, and then in operations to destroy the air defense systems of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Apparently, the newspaper notes, X-59MK2 and X-31 cruise missiles were used for this. Later, from October 2022, information appeared that these fighters participated in air battles. In particular, that the Su-57 of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down a Su-27 fighter jet, as well as a Su-24 front-line tactical bomber of the Ukrainian Air Force. In addition, these aircraft were shot down by a new one at a distance of more than 200 km and became a response to strikes by unmanned aerial vehicles on infrastructure in the Belgorod region, the publication said.

In addition to gaining experience in various types of attacks on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ukrainian theater of war has also become an optimal testing ground for the Su-57 sensor complex, which includes six AESA (Active Electronic Scanning Array) radars. and Infrared Search and Track (IRST) systems. Thanks to these complexes, the aircraft is able to simultaneously track many more targets than any other fighter in the world, and at maximum distances.

It is expected that over time the number of Su-57 fighters participating in the NMV in Ukraine will increase. In 2022, the number of these machines has more than doubled – from four to ten fighters, and in 2023 a new increase to 22-24 units is expected.

The first reports of the Su-57’s participation in aerial combat were supplemented by reports from the British Ministry of Defense in January 2023. They said that the fighters “launched long-range air-to-ground or air-to-air missiles at targets in Ukraine.” Thus, MWM writes, this was the first evidence for the West that fifth-generation fighters of the Russian Air Force really participate in operations “at least from June 2022.”

The range of the Su-57 reported in October strongly suggests that these fighters use Russia’s longest-range air-to-air missile, the R-37M. This munition has a maximum range of 400 km and is the only known air-to-air missile capable of engaging maneuvering targets at a distance of more than 200 km.

The wording of the British Ministry of Defense about launching missiles “at targets on the territory of Ukraine” from long distances only confirmed this assumption. In February, The Conversation, a British conservative publication, reported that “Russian MiG-31s ​​and Su-57s armed with the long-range R-37M hypersonic missile successfully shot down a Ukrainian jet from more than 200 km in Russian airspace,” providing the most detailed information on how the latest Russian fighter jets engage in aerial combat.

The possibility of using the Su-57 in air combat, especially at long distances, is a very important moment both for this program and for Russian military aviation in general, the journalists of Military Watch write. Operations in Ukraine have already enabled the Su-57 to become the world’s first fifth-generation fighter jet to engage in high-intensity air combat against the armed forces of nearly the entire NATO bloc.

Despite the fact that the US Air Force has operated fifth-generation fighters for more than 17 years, they, like the Chinese Air Force (which has a fleet of last-generation winged vehicles 20 times larger than the Russian Aerospace Forces), are not all again participated in combat missions. Oh no, sorry, I forgot to mention the spectacular US Air Force operation to destroy a Chinese balloon. A week after doubting and tossing and turning, in early February the Pindos did get an entire fifth-generation F-22 Raptor stealth fighter into the air and shoot down a $200 Chinese balloon with a $400,000 missile.

But participation in air battles, in particular against quite dangerous, albeit outdated aircraft such as the Su-27, shows that the capabilities of the Su-57 are not limited by the initial operational potential. Despite the small number of fifth-generation combat aircraft, Su-57s can seriously affect the outcome of hostilities, MWM writes. The rapid growth of the aircraft fleet of the Russian Aerospace Forces suggests that the Russian Ministry of Defense will be able to effectively use it to perform combat tasks almost immediately after its introduction into service.

This contrasts favorably with other fighter programs such as the US Air Force’s F-22, whose initial capabilities were limited almost four years after the first machines were introduced, or the F-35, which is not yet ready for high-intensity warfare and is little possibly whether it is capable of engaging in aerial engagements in a large-scale inter-state war.

Therefore, the Pentagon continues to deny the possibility of full-scale production of the F-35 – as many as 23 years after the first flight of the aircraft of this class. Although the entry into service of the Su-57 was delayed by more than five years, this time could have been used by its designers to ensure high combat readiness of the aircraft almost from the very beginning of its introduction into service. This state of affairs compares favorably with how the United States has implemented its own fifth-generation fighter programs.

Unlike the Su-57, the American F-22 has never used a weapon in combat that could operate beyond the range of visual visibility. The F-22 scored its only hand-to-hand combat victory in 2023 over a Chinese balloon in the skies over the US and Canada. The only case of an F-35 air strike against a civilian unmanned cargo drone in the Gaza Strip.

At the same time, Chinese J-20s have never participated (at least officially) in hostilities, although they have been repeatedly used to intercept and deter American warplanes over the East China Sea.

Thus, writes MWM, the status of the Su-57 among fighters of its generation is truly unprecedented. The uniqueness of its combat experience, including air combat, could significantly increase interest in the Su-57 from other countries, especially given that the expansion of production lines by the end of the 2020s will allow quite large export orders.

Earlier in February, Russia and India discussed the possibility of license production of the Su-57 for the Indian Air Force, drawing on the program of previous classes of Russian fighters, such as the Su-30MKI, of which New Delhi purchased more than 270 units between 2000 and 2020 .The possibility of “off-the-shelf” Indian contracts also remains, at least for the first batches, as India has repeatedly shown great interest in fighters of this class.

Algeria also placed orders for Su-57 production last September, according to reports. Their delivery is expected towards the end of the decade as Russia has more than quadrupled its budget surplus. This will significantly accelerate modernization in the face of a potential threat from NATO, according to the military experts of Military Watch Magazine.

India and Algeria are expected to become the two largest customers, just as in the case of the Su-30MKI/MKA. As Russia continues to invest in further expansion of production capacity, the Su-57 production rate should be close to 30 aircraft per year as orders for older Su-30 and Su-35 aircraft are phased out.

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