The Sukhoi Su-57 is a fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter developed by Sukhoi as part of the PAK FA program. Designed to operate in day and night conditions as well as contested electronic environments, the aircraft is capable of executing strike missions against air, sea, and ground targets. The Su-57 was conceived as a more affordable and modern alternative to the previous MFI program.
Development of the aircraft reached a milestone on 29 January 2010, when the first flight model took to the air in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. This was followed by the first flight of a second flight model on 3 March 2011, also at the same production site. Serial production of the fighter is carried out exclusively at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant (KnAAPO/KnAAZ) in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Khabarovsk Krai, located in the Russian Far East. As the largest aircraft-manufacturing company in Russia, KnAAZ is the sole serial-production site for the Su-57 and currently operates under the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) ecosystem.
Serial production began in 2019 and continues to the present day. While exact production totals are not consistently reported, one estimate indicates that over 34 aircraft had been built as of 2026. Defense reporting sources have noted specific annual delivery claims, including 6 aircraft in 2022, 12 in 2023, and an expected output of 20 aircraft in 2024.
In terms of operational history, the Su-57 saw its first combat deployment in 2018, with at least two prototypes utilized during the Russian intervention in the Syrian civil war. The aircraft officially entered service with the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) in December 2020, marked by the delivery of the first production aircraft to an aviation regiment of the Southern Military District based at Lipetsk. Additionally, defense sources report the aircraft has been active in the Ukrainian theatre since early 2022, performing air-to-air combat, precision strikes, and the suppression of enemy air defenses.