Israeli satellite records Russian Su-57 fighters at airbase in Syria
The Israeli company Imagesat International (iSi) published satellite photographs of Russia’s Khmeimim airbase in Syria showing the location where the Su-57s are stationed, Haaretz reported.
The images were taken by the satellite Eros B. In them, one can see airplanes, and the outlines of two of them resemble Russian Su-57s.
The article states that the 5th generation Russian fighters are not yet ready for full-fledged usage. Haaretz suggests that it is more likely that they will be tested under real conditions.
Information came out earlier that Russia had deployed its latest 5th generation Su-57 fighters in Syria. However, this was not officially acknowledged by the Russian Defense Ministry.
The Su-57 was developed to replace the heavy Su-27 fighter in the Russian Air Force. Serial production of the new model is scheduled to begin in 2018-2019.
The newer fighters are more maneuverable and have greater stealth than their predecessors, and can exceed the sound barrier without using afterburning.
Most countries only have 4th generation fighters. Only the US, Japan, China and Russia are actively developing 5th generation aircraft. Of these, only the US and China already have the new generation of fighters in use. These are the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, and the Chengdu J-20 respectively.