PUBLISHED on August 7, 2025, 03:07 PM EDT – Key Points and Summary – Recent reports from Ukrainian military observers suggest Russia is increasing the operational use of its Su-57 stealth fighter in Ukraine.
-The jet is allegedly flying in complex, multi-aircraft formations to practice deep-strike missions.
-More significantly, Russia is reportedly using the Su-57 as a testbed for new and exotic weapons, including a stealthy hybrid drone-missile called the Su-71K, in an effort to overcome Ukraine’s formidable air defenses.
-This live combat testing is likely a high-stakes attempt by Moscow to prove the viability of the long-troubled Su-57 program.
The Su-57 Goes to War?
WARSAW, POLAND – According to reports by military analysts in Ukraine who are watching changes in Russian strategy, Moscow is increasing the use of the Sukhoi Su-57 next-generation fighter aircraft in this war. Some of the reports of this activity have come from the combat aviation-focused organization “Sonyashnyk,” which has been linked to Ukrainian military observer channels on Telegram.
Reports from sources who have spoken to press outlets in Ukraine suggest that the Russians are attempting to develop battle scenarios for the aircraft, which is touted as a 5th-generation aircraft and is also believed to be stealthy. The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) are reported to be experimenting with different weapons loads. They are evaluating new tactics for operating the aircraft in combat in a full-on military conflict.
One of the scenarios being practiced that has been reported has been the operation of the Su-57s in multi-aircraft formations. The intent is for them to carry out strike missions to hit targets deep inside Ukrainian territory.
“Whole formations of Su-57s have already been observed in action,” the Sonyashnyk project reported, noting that the formations operate so that “one aircraft provides cover using the long-range [Vympel] R-77M active-homing air-to-air missile while another pair then carry out long-range air-to-surface strikes with either the MKB Raduga Kh-69 cruise missiles or [KAB] precision-guided bombs.”
A New Long-Range Weapon
The same sources claim that in addition to the Kh-69, the VKS are testing a new type of cruise missile on the Su-57, one that is described as a hybrid between a drone and a missile. This latest missile has been seen painted in a flight test evaluation orange colour scheme, along with sets of flight test markings all along the fuselage of the rocket.
This weapon, which is being referred to as Su-71K, is reported to be harder for enemy radars to pick up due to its configuration and lower cross-section. The system itself is also reported to be capable of evasive maneuvering, including being able to make abrupt turns at sharp angles.
The testing of a weapon with these characteristics is an increasingly new development by the VKS. The force is trying to find a combination of aircraft and weapon systems that can avoid being intercepted by Ukraine’s air defenses. Ukraine has proven to be increasingly adept at intercepting air-launched weapons, which is why more than one of Russia’s air-to-surface weapons has been modified to achieve near ballistic performance in the terminal phase.
Other than the new weapons, the VKS have been testing out combat-validated procedures for the Su-57. The aircraft is currently in limited production, which has held the VKS back from deploying it too close to the front lines. This is for fear of losing an aircraft and having it crash in Ukraine, where the wreckage could end up being examined and the Su-57’s design compromised.
Su-57 Being Tested With Strike Drones
In October 2024, a Su-57 was flying an escort mission for a prototype of the S-70 Okhotnik heavy strike drone, presumably to keep the unmanned platform from being shot down by a Ukrainian fighter aircraft.
Observers who reported what happened next stated that the S-70 lost control mid-flight due to what appeared to be a technical malfunction. The heavyweight drone was then destroyed by the Su-57 that was supposed to be escorting it. It was an action that was interpreted as being an emergency procedure that was designed to keep a copy of that drone, even a crashed model, also from being acquired by the Ukrainians.
Lots of Su-57 Felon Problems
The Su-57 program had a long development history. Initially, it was known by its Sukhoi design bureau prototype designation, T-50. That aircraft first flew in 2010, which is one year before the first flight of the Chinese 5th-generation Chengdu J-20.
But whereas the Chinese aircraft programme has made regular progress and has gone on to be produced in the hundreds, the T-50 has been built in very small numbers, and the program has suffered one delay after another. It has also failed to attract any foreign customers willing to invest in the production or design phases.
The war in Ukraine has turned into an opportunity for live, operational testing of weapons—an option that numerous nations have availed themselves of. The Russian aerospace sector now wants to do the same with the Su-57. They aim to demonstrate that the program is not a “flash in the pan” that fails to reach full-scale production. Instead, they are determined for the aircraft to become the platform that eventually replaces the previous-generation Su-30SM and Su-35S models.
Attempting to push more Su-57s into the VKS inventory could be prohibitively expensive. Moreover, the program is unlikely to make significant progress as long as no foreign buyers view it as a competitor to the F-35 and other stealthy aircraft and decide to become major customers.
About the Author: Reuben F. Johnson
Reuben F. Johnson has thirty-six years of experience analyzing and reporting on foreign weapons systems, defense technologies, and international arms export policy. Johnson is the Director of Research at the Casimir Pulaski Foundation. He is also a survivor of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He worked for years in the American defense industry as a foreign technology analyst and later as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Defense, the Departments of the Navy and Air Force, and the governments of the United Kingdom and Australia. In 2022-2023, he won two awards in a row for his defense reporting. He holds a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University and a master’s degree from Miami University in Ohio, specializing in Soviet and Russian studies. He lives in Warsaw.
More Military
We Almost Touched the F-117 Stealth Fighter
