Algeria becomes the first international buyer of the Russian fifth-generation Su-57 fighter, which it will start receiving this year
While there is speculation about Morocco’s acquisition of fifth-generation F-35 aircraft from the United States, its main adversary, Algeria, has confirmed the purchase of Su-57 fighters from Russia. This is the first export of this model, also of the fifth generation, developed by Sukhoi, part of the Moscow-based state-owned company UAC.
The operation has been revealed by Algerian television, according to the Abu Dhabi-based specialised media Dhabi Global Defence Insight, which also reports that there are already Algerian Armed Forces pilots training in Russia in the use of these devices. The forecast, he adds, is that deliveries will begin this year.
The Su-57 is a model that Turkey even considered acquiring a few years ago, in 2019, in the face of the United States’ refusal to deliver the F-35s to which it had previously committed, in retaliation for Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400 missile systems.
At the time, Russia said it was preparing a version of the Su-57 for export, which would only be possible once the model began operating with the Russian Aerospace Forces. That moment has now come with this sale to Algeria, of which details such as the number of units or the agreed price have not yet been confirmed.