Russia Halts Stealth Fighter Jet Exports Completely... "Insufficient Quantity Even for Frontline Deployment"

Export of Some Models Including Su-57 Restricted for 10 Years
Increased Defect Rate Due to Rapid Production... Consecutive Crash Accidents Also Occur

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] It has been reported that Russia is unable to export its latest stealth fighter jets, which were planned for export to China, India, and others. This is attributed to most of the production being redirected to the Ukrainian front due to the war in Ukraine, as well as a worsening shortage of semiconductors and essential parts caused by sanctions against Russia. There are concerns that some models may not be exportable for more than 10 years.

'Checkmate,' said to rival the F-35, lacks the capacity for production

According to Defense News, a U.S. military specialist media outlet, on the 23rd (local time), Russia recently halted the export of its main stealth fighter, the Sukhoi (Su)-57, due to a shortage of production volume. The Su-57 is a fighter jet much cheaper than the U.S.'s latest stealth fighters, the F-22 and F-35, and had been sought after for import by China, India, and various Middle Eastern countries.

Additionally, the Su-75, nicknamed 'Checkmate,' which Russia boasted last year as having performance comparable to the U.S. F-35, is reportedly unable even to produce test aircraft for flight trials. Defense News also reported that both the Su-57 and Su-75 models may be completely unable to be exported for at least the next 10 years.

Russia has reportedly instructed major defense companies to increase missile and ammunition production as it continues to struggle on the Ukrainian front. Consequently, fighter jet production has further declined. Even existing main models like the Su-35, which have not yet completely stopped exports, are expected to face a total export halt soon.

Sanctions against Russia have also caused significant setbacks in increasing fighter jet production. According to CNN, the Russian military is facing a severe shortage of semiconductors and key aircraft parts essential for fighter jet production due to sanctions, and imports of major machine tools required for aircraft manufacturing have been restricted, sharply reducing production capacity.

Increasing defective fighter jets sent to the front... consecutive crash accidents

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Frequent fighter jet sorties on the Ukrainian front, hastily assembled production factories, neglect in maintenance due to parts shortages, and increased defect rates have led to consecutive fighter jet crash accidents.

According to the Associated Press on the 23rd (local time), a Russian Air Force Su-30 fighter jet crashed into a house in Irkutsk, eastern Siberia, killing two pilots. Igor Kobzev, governor of Irkutsk, stated, "No casualties occurred on the ground."

Irkutsk, with a population of 600,000, is the largest city and industrial center of Irkutsk Oblast and is home to the Su-30 fighter jet production plant. The manufacturer of the fighter jet, the Russian state-owned aircraft manufacturer United Aircraft Corporation, issued a statement explaining that the aircraft crashed during flight training before being delivered to the Air Force and added that the aircraft was not armed.

While the exact cause of the accident has not yet been determined, this fighter jet crash is counted as the 11th non-combat accident since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.