Russia’s flagship fifth-generation stealth fighter has long been touted as a game-changer in military aviation, but it has not made a substantial impact. Russia has been aggressively pitching the “stealth jet” to India, and reports say New Delhi is evaluating its options.
Developed as part of the PAK FA program, the twin-engine multirole aircraft features advanced capabilities, including supercruise, 3D thrust vectoring, and integration with unmanned systems such as the S-70 Okhotnik drone.
Despite Russia’s efforts to market the export variant, the Su-57E, to international buyers—including overtures to China—it has found no buyers, except for Algeria, which too has not been officially acknowledged by the Russian government.
According to multiple reports, the aircraft was pitched to China, and Beijing was actively evaluating it; however, at the heart of China’s reluctance was its own fifth-generation fighter, the Chengdu J-20 “Mighty Dragon.”
Earlier, Mark Episkopos had written in The National Interest that Russia is poised to pitch its fifth-generation fighter to China. The article quoted Viktor Kladov, an official from the Russian state-owned defense and technology conglomerate, Rostec, as saying, “China has recently taken delivery of 24 Su-35 aircraft, and in the next two years, [China] will make a decision to either procure additional Su-35s, build the Su-35 within China, or buy a fifth-generation fighter aircraft. This could be another opportunity for the Su-57E [the export variant].”
The fighter jet had a rough ‘take-off’. The first serially produced Su-57 had crashed in Russia’s Far East during its initial testing in December 2019. Earlier, India exited the FGFA program, sending shockwaves in the Russian camp.
RAND Corporation, a US-based think tank, had raised questions about whether the Su-57 can even be considered a fifth-generation aircraft. It pointed out that current prototypes have been outfitted with an older engine.
The Russian aircraft was touted as a direct competitor to the US F-22; however, the Su-57 lacked a true stealth profile when compared to its counterparts.
An argument against this view is that, by design, stealth is not the Su-57’s core priority; instead, it is an option available to the end-user. This school of thought holds that the Russian and Chinese fighters are incomparable, as they are designed for distinct roles and missions.
From this perspective, the J-20 is a stealthy platform designed to penetrate sophisticated enemy air defenses and destroy military installations. On the other hand, the Su-57 is primarily an air superiority platform, excelling in close-combat air warfare, which could have initially tempted Beijing.
SU-57 For China: A Big NO
The Su-57 is the brainchild of the Sukhoi Design Bureau and Russian Aircraft Corporation and is Russia’s first stealth-capable fighter.
The twin-engine aircraft was designed with multi-mission capability in mind, enabling it to conduct both anti-air and air-to-ground operations. The Su-57 is expected to feature automation and artificial intelligence technologies, thereby holistically enhancing Russian airpower.
The fighter jets have been designed to replace Russia’s aging fleet of MiG-29 and Su-27 fourth-generation aircraft. Felon offers a supersonic range of over 1,500km, more than two times the range of the Su-27 fighter.
China showed real interest in the Su-57 project back in the early 2010s, when the jet was still in development.
At that time, China’s own fifth-generation program—the Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon—was getting off the ground, and Beijing saw the Su-57 as a quick way to acquire advanced technologies such as stealth coatings, avionics, and engine designs.
Russia reportedly even pitched an export version (Su-57E) to China, and there were talks of joint work or small buys to study the plane up close. But that spark fizzled out fast.
No deal was reached, and today China mocks the Su-57 publicly while churning out its own J-20s and J-35s.
By the mid-2010s, China’s J-20 entered service and quickly ramped up production—now over 300 units flying, with more on the way. It’s a big, long-range air superiority beast tailored for the Pacific, with strong stealth and missile tech that matches or beats the Su-57 in radar evasion.
Russia’s only built about 20-30 so far. It’s more of a multi-role fighter (air-to-air and ground-attack), but Chinese analysts say its stealth is “subpar”—its visible engine nozzles and gaps make it easier to spot than the J-20 or the U.S. F-22.
Additionally, China’s unveiling of the J-35A (a carrier-based stealth jet like the F-35) at airshows, copying U.S. designs but skipping Russian ones entirely.
China has a long track record of buying Russian gear (like Su-27s, which became the J-11) and then reverse-engineering it without paying royalties. Moscow wasn’t keen on handing over Su-57 blueprints or sensitive stealth tech, fearing it’d end up in a “J-57” someday.
Early interest from China was mostly for “learning” purposes—buy a few, tear them apart in labs. But Russia held back, especially after sanctions hit post-2014 Crimea. No full tech transfer meant no deal.
At 2024’s Zhuhai Airshow, two Su-57s showed up… and got roasted on Chinese social media for “shoddy workmanship”—visible screws, rusty panels, and poor fit. One viral post called it “fourth-gen at best.” That killed any lingering buzz.
The point is, China no longer needs Russia. Back in 2010, Russia was the aerospace big brother, but not anymore. Beijing buys Russian oil, but not high-tech jets or military equipment.
The earlier argument was that both the J-20 and the Su-57 could coexist because they specialize in distinct operational roles. However, another school of thought was that the Chinese are interested in the Russian jet for training and R&D purposes.
“A deep dive into the Su-57’s design—especially if they get one with the much-anticipated, second-stage Izdeliye 30 engine—could provide Chinese aerospace engineers with insight into ways to improve the J-20’s design or production process,” Wang Yongqing, a Chinese aircraft designer, had told state-owned Global Times.
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