Russia will start serial production of the 5th-generation light fighter Sukhoi Su-57 in 2027, Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov said on May18 at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin: work is in progress on the designer documentation for the light fighter jet Checkmate. Its serial production will begin in 2027, Rostec corporation’s CEO Sergey Chemezov said at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

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Russia will start serial production of the 5th-generation light fighter Sukhoi Su-57 in 2027 (Picture source: Wikipedia/Anna Zvereva, from Tallinn)

So far, a prototype has been created and designer documentation is being developed. "We borrowed the onboard equipment and the engine from the 5th-generation fighter Sukhoi-75, but reconfigured them somewhat," Chemezov said, adding that Rostec was creating the plane on its own money without drawing budget funds. He hopes that the Defense Ministry will agree to purchase the plane.

The Sukhoi Su-57 (NATO reporting name: Felon) is a single-seat, twin-engine, stealth, multirole fighter aircraft. It is the product of the PAK FA (Perspektivnyy Aviatsionnyy Kompleks Frontovoy Aviatsii, lit. ''prospective aeronautical complex of front-line air forces'') fighter programme, which is intended to be the basis for a family of stealth combat aircraft. Sukhoi's internal designation for the aircraft is T-50. The Su-57 is the first aircraft in Russian military service designed with stealth technology.

A multirole fighter capable of aerial combat as well as ground and maritime strike, the Su-57 incorporates stealth, supermaneuverability, supercruise, integrated avionics, and substantial internal payload capacity. The aircraft is expected to succeed the MiG-29 and Su-27 in the Russian military aviation arms. In addition to serving the Russian armed forces, the aircraft has also been marketed for export. After a protracted development due to various issues that emerged during trials, including the destruction of the first production aircraft in a crash before its delivery, the first aircraft entered service with the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) in December 2020. The fighter is expected to have a service life of up to 35 years.