Deliveries of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 ‘Lightning’ stealth fighters to the U.S. and its allies have resumed after a year-long halt. Meanwhile, in South Korea, Korean Aerospace Industries is building the first batch of KF-21 stealth fighters.
In contrast, Russia’s production of the Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter, known by NATO as the ‘Felon,’ has stalled for a key reason: the country's dependence on Western-made components, especially electronics. According to Frontelligence Insight, a Ukrainian analysis group, Western sanctions imposed since Russia's invasion of Ukraine have cut off critical supplies, jeopardizing the production of the Su-57.
The Su-57, a large, fast stealth fighter, is designed as Russia’s answer to the U.S. Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. It was intended to replace older MiG-29s and Su-27s in the Russian Air Force. The Su-57 first flew in 2010, two decades after the Raptor, the world’s first fifth-generation fighter.
Sukhoi built 10 test models over the following decade, and in 2019, Russia ordered 76 production jets at around $50 million each. While Lockheed produces more than 150 F-35s annually, Sukhoi has struggled to match even a small portion of that output. The company delivered only 10 Su-57s in 2022, 11 in 2023, and just a few more in 2024.
Russia has already lost two Su-57s to crashes and at least one more was destroyed by a Ukrainian drone strike in June at the Akhtubinsk State Flight Test Center. Today, only about 30 Su-57s are believed to be operational, with a third of those being test models that may lack essential electronics. This is a small force for an air force that operates roughly 1,000 frontline fighters and has lost 100 of them in the war in Ukraine since February 2022.
What’s notable is the declining production rate of the Su-57, which has dropped significantly between 2023 and 2024. Normally, production rates increase as workers gain experience, but sanctions have undermined Russia's ability to produce the Su-57.
Intelligence Insight identified several bottlenecks in Russian production, including critical parts like the WA36 attenuator and power supplies such as the PLR7 60-12 and EA-PS 3150, used in the German-made MPPU-50 calibration device for the Su-57’s communication systems. While Russia previously imported these components legally, it now relies on illicit channels and Chinese substitutes to keep production going. This black-market sourcing takes time and drives up costs, further slowing Su-57 output.
As early as 2020, some Russian defense experts advised the Kremlin to shift focus from the Su-57 to producing updated versions of older aircraft, like the MiG-35, which is cheaper and easier to produce. But abandoning the Su-57 would be a symbolic defeat for Russia, whose program was intended to rival U.S. airpower.
Instead, while Russia struggles to build its Su-57 fleet, the U.S. is already working on the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter to replace its F-22s. This new stealth fighter could fly before Russia even completes its initial Su-57 order.
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