Russian newspaper: Vietnam is the first customer of Su-57?
The Russian website Avia.pro has just posted very noteworthy information related to the possibility of exporting the 5th generation stealth fighter Su-57.
According to Avia.pro, Sukhoi Aircraft Corporation will begin the process of supplying the export variant of the 5th generation stealth fighter Su-57 to customers in Southeast Asia after completing the domestic version for the Russian Air Force.
Although Sukhoi has not announced who the potential customer is, Avia.Pro, based on its sources, affirms that Vietnam is very interested in this extremely modern Russian fighter jet.
The Russian newspaper even stated that the number of Su-57 fighters that Vietnam wants to buy will be 12, equivalent to 1 regiment, with the estimated contract value being around 2 billion USD.
This is a quite reasonable number when compared with the number of Su-30MK2 fighter units of the Vietnam People's Air Force.
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| Russian newspaper says Vietnam will soon order 12 Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighters |
If Avia.pro's information is correct, Vietnam will become the first country in the world to receive Russia's approval to supply this 5th generation fighter jet. However, they also noted that the Russian Ministry of Defense as well as the Sukhoi Group have not yet made any comments.
In fact, this is not the first time similar information has appeared, but it has existed for a long time, when data from the World Arms Trade Analysis Center (TSAMTO) once assessed that Vietnam would order 12 - 24 fighter jets of this type around 2030 - 2035.
Comparing the two prediction sources above, it seems that Avia.pro is giving out bolder information that can excite those who love and follow the country's military situation.
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| Will Vietnam soon own the Su-57 stealth fighter? |
However, according to Colonel Makar Aksenenko - Associate Professor of Russian Military Science, we should be careful with the above predictions. The main reason is that the state-of-the-art fighter Su-57 has not yet passed the state testing stage and has not been officially equipped for the Russian Air Force, so we should not confuse dreams with reality.
Russian military experts have advised that customers cannot consider the possibility of putting into service an aircraft that has not yet begun serial production in the country that developed it.
Currently, Russia has only produced a small batch of Su-57s with the AL-41F1S engine of the Su-35 while its main engine, the Izdeliye 30, is not yet ready.
More specifically, at the press conference at the Paris Airshow 2017, Rosoboronexport General Director Aleksandr Mikheev said that "In the near future, Russia will not export the most modern weapons models, including the 5th generation fighter Su-57".
