Key Points and Summary – An analysis of leaked classified documents reveals that Russia’s Su-57 Felon stealth fighter program is in deep trouble, with jets being delivered to the air force in a “stripped-down, incomplete form.”
Su-57 Felon Stealth Fighter from Russia. Image: Creative Commons.
Su-57 Felon Fighter Russian Ministry of Defense Photo
-According to the report, Western sanctions disrupted the supply of key microchips, forcing the military to accept the aircraft without essential components of their electro-optical targeting system, leaving them short of advertised capabilities.
-The documents also suggest that due to accounting issues, the Russian government may have paid twice for these hobbled fighters, highlighting deep structural problems within the embattled program.
Leaked Docs Reveal Truth About Russia’s Su-57 Felon Stealth Fighter
Recently obtained classified documents reveal that the Russian Air Force’s “crown jewel,” the Sukhoi Su-57 Felon stealth fighter, may have been deployed in a stripped-down, incomplete form.
Documents reviewed by Frontelligence Insight, with support from Ukrainian analytics company Dallas suggest Russia’s stealth fighter program is experiencing major problems, and that Russia’s only fifth-generation fighter may have been deployed without targeting subsystems and at a much higher price than originally anticipated.
What We Knew
This isn’t the first time the embattled Su-57 program has hit the headlines.
Previously, the British Ministry of Defence assessed that Russia was refraining from fielding the Su-57 over concerns about reputational damage or the loss of sensitive technology on the battlefield.
The fifth-generation fighter, Russia’s first to be designed with stealth technology, has rarely been seen since it was introduced into service in 2020 – and not because it’s difficult to detect.
Russian sources have claimed that Su-57 fighters were used in the first few weeks of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, tasked with striking targets out of reach of Ukraine’s air defense network at the time. The Su-57 was later seen in February, 2024, when it was escorted by Su-35 fighters to conduct a missile strike in Luhansk Oblast.
Not only has the Russian military been hesitant to use the aircraft in combat, not a single Su-57 has been exported – with some reports suggesting that export variants will not be available until the end of this decade.
What We Know Now
According to the lengthy review of classified documents by Frontelligence Insight, the Russian Ministry of Defense appears to have purchased each Su-57 from Sukhoi at a cost of 3 billion rubles (roughly $37 million USD). Curiously, the planes were delivered “without certain targeting subsystems, leaving them short of advertised operational capabilities.”
Unsurprisingly, the problem appears to have been caused by Western sanctions.
“In September 2024, our team examined the Mikropribor plant, which produces the module (MPPU-50) for the Su-57. The investigation revealed that Western sanctions had cut off supplies of key microchips, disrupting contracts and delaying production,” the report explains.
Analysts noted that the Russian Defense Ministry knowingly accepted the aircraft without the 101KS-N system, an essential component for the electro-optical targeting system.
Without it, the Su-57 is not capable of conducting all-weather surveillance.
Additionally, its passive infrared detection features do not function.
The report also concluded that procurement practices and accounting errors could suggest that the Russian state paid twice for an incomplete aircraft: first, in a deal for a fully-equipped model, and secondly, for individual components that were ultimately never included in the final build.
The news suggests that Western sanctions successfully disrupted Russian aircraft, weapons, and hardware procurement – and did so at a time when the Su-57 program was already facing “deeper structural problems.”
About the Author: Jack Buckby
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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Joe Biden
August 24, 2025 at 8:27 pm
Jacky, did you find any hasbara documents that tell you why British planes are falling apart in India. 😂