Russia’s state-owned television network Zvezda TV released never before seen footage of the nation’s fifth-generation fighter, the Su-57 on Tuesday night. One of the two pieces of footage shows four of the rare jets flying in formation, before one of the fighters executes a maneuver commonly referred to as a “flat spin.”
The second piece of footage shows two Su-57s landing simultaneously.
The Su-57, also known as the PAK FA and T-50, is Russia’s most advanced fighter platform, often touted as a 5th generation competitor for the likes of America’s F-22 and China’s J-20. However, unlike the F-22, which entered service more than a decade ago, and the J-20, which reportedly became combat operational earlier this year, the Su-57 likely won’t ever see any real combat.
After India backed out of the program, Russia announced that they would be limiting the production run of the Su-57 to just 12 aircraft, making their entrance into the realm of fifth-generation fighters a largely symbolic one. These new videos don’t only show Russia’s most advanced fighters — they actually show a third of all the fifth-generation fighters Russia will likely have for decades to come.
Image courtesy of YouTube