Russian media reports: Is Vietnam the first customer for the Su-57?
The Russian website Avia.pro has just published some very noteworthy information regarding the possibility of exporting the fifth-generation Su-57 stealth fighter jet.
According to Avia.pro, Sukhoi Aircraft Corporation will begin supplying the export variant of the fifth-generation Su-57 stealth fighter to customers in Southeast Asia after completing the domestic version for the Russian Air Force.
Although Sukhoi has not yet announced the identity of the potential customer, Avia.Pro, based on its sources, asserts that Vietnam is very interested in this extremely modern Russian fighter jet.
The Russian newspaper even specified that Vietnam wants to buy 12 Su-57 fighter jets, equivalent to one regiment, with the estimated contract value around $2 billion.
This is a fairly reasonable number when compared to the strength of the Su-30MK2 fighter units of the Vietnam People's Air Force.
|
| Russian media reports suggest that Vietnam will soon order 12 Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter jets. |
If the information from Avia.pro is accurate, Vietnam would become the first country in the world to receive this fifth-generation fighter jet from Russia. However, they also noted that neither the Russian Ministry of Defense nor Sukhoi Corporation has made any comments.
In fact, this is not the first time similar information has appeared; it has been around for a long time, with data from the World Arms Trade Analysis Centre (TSAMTO) estimating that Vietnam would order 12-24 of these fighter jets around 2030-2035.
Comparing the two prediction sources, it seems that Avia.pro is providing a bolder prediction that may delight those who follow and are interested in the country's military situation.
|
| Will Vietnam soon acquire Su-57 stealth fighters? |
However, according to Colonel Makar Aksenenko, Deputy Doctor of Military Science of Russia, caution is advised regarding these predictions. The main reason is that the advanced Su-57 fighter jet has not yet passed state-level testing and has not been officially deployed to the Russian Air Force. Therefore, one should not confuse dreams with reality.
Russian military experts have advised that customers should not consider the possibility of commissioning an aircraft that has not yet begun mass production in the country that developed it.
Currently, Russia is only producing a small batch of Su-57s on a trial basis using the AL-41F1S engine from the Su-35, while its main engine, the Izdeliye 30, is not yet ready.
More specifically, at a press conference at the Paris Airshow 2017, the General Director of Rosoboronexport, Aleksandr Mikheev, stated that "In the near future, Russia will not export its most modern weapons systems, including the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter jet."