The newest Russian multi-role fighter Su-57 was shot down at the Akhtubinsk airfield. Photo: UKRAINIAN DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE
Ukraine shot down Russia's most advanced stealth fighter for the first time in a drone strike 365 miles from the front line.
Ukrainian military intelligence said the drone hit an airfield in the Russian Astrakhan region on the coast Caspian Sea. On Saturday, the Su-57 fighter-bomber was destroyed.
“The defeat of the Su-57 is the first such incident in history,” the message says.
Photos show debris scattered throughout the area. Akhtubinsky airfield and the faint outline of a Su-57 fighter-bomber. Only a few Su-57s are believed to be in Russian service.
The bomber was created as a replacement for the outdated MiG-29 and Su-27 and entered service with the Russian Air Force only in December 2020.
Production of each Su-57 fighter-bomber is estimated at 2.2 billion rubles (£19.5 million).
In addition to vaunted stealth capabilities such as radar-absorbing fiberglass, the Su-57 is highly regarded for its “super maneuverability” and large payload capacity, which allows it to carry and fire the X-57. Hypersonic missiles Kh-59 and Kh-69, known as “Daggers”.
The Russian Ministry of Defense did not comment on the situation, but the country’s military bloggers confirmed the fact of the strike.
The Su-57 fighter jet was designed to replace aging Russian military aircraft such as the MiG-29 and Su-27. TATYANA MAKEEVA/REUTERS
“Yes, yesterday the airfield in Akhtubinsk was attacked by drones. Three of them have arrived,” the Fighterbomber telegram channel reported to its 460 thousand subscribers. “The Su-57 received shrapnel damage. It is now being determined whether it can be restored or not.”
Rybar, who has 1.2 million subscribers on his Telegram channel, accused Russian officials of not doing enough to protect Russian warplanes at vulnerable airfields.
“For the cost of repairing one Su-57 It was possible to fully equip several operational-tactical aircraft with light shelters near the front line,” the report says. “But, despite two years of combat operations and frequent drone attacks on aircraft, those in charge did not bother to do this.”
< p>Another Russian military blogger mocked Russian officials for trying to fool Ukraine and its allies with “poorly” drawn photos of fake Su-57s.
“The poorly drawn silhouette of the Su-57 at the Akhtubinsk airfield, of course, failed to fool modern NATO satellites with good photographic resolution,” the War Observer Telegram channel reported.
“A slap in the face”
Ukrainians celebrated the strike on the Su-57 online. Ukrainian observer Maria Avdeeva called the strike a “slap in the face” to the Kremlin.
Military analyst Vadim Labas said it showed the weakness of Russia's airfield defense systems.
“The main thing in this attack is that our drones broke through the defense airfield for the second day in a row,” he said. “Russia lacks air defense systems to protect its airfields.”
Hours before the strike on the Su-57, Ukrainian drones struck the Mozdok air base in North Ossetia in southern Russia, where the Kremlin headquarters is located. Tu-22M heavy bombers.
Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces shot down three drones, and Ukrainian officials did not say any heavy bombers were hit.
Plane hit The fighter-bomber has angered Vladimir Putin, who is outraged by the failure of his navy and air force to protect its expensive warships and fighter jets from Ukrainian drone and missile attacks.
The attack also opened the Russian Defense Ministry to fresh criticism just a month after Putin purged the ranks of senior officials he viewed as corrupt and incompetent.
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