Russian stealth jet makes a rare stop in Iran for refueling
The Iranian 9th Tactical Aviation Base recently hosted an unusual visitor: the prototype of the Russian Su-57 aircraft. Here's an explanation of what it was doing there and its characteristics.
The Russian Su-57 participated in the Aeroindia 2025 airshow in India. Due to range limitations, it had to make a stopover for refueling. With the decline of Russian activity in Syria, refueling at the Humaymim airbase was not an option.
Thus, the Russians turned to the regime in Iran, a Russian ally. The video below shows the departure of the Russian Su-57 from the 9th Tactical Aviation Base in Bandar Abbas.
Su-57 - Russia's counterpart to the F-22 Raptor
The Su-57 is the most advanced aircraft developed by Russia. It marks a departure from predecessors like the Su-27, a new-generation aircraft. The first prototype took to the skies in 2010; since then, ten test machines and a similar number of production aircraft have been developed.
From the outset, Russia promoted the Su-57 as a fifth-generation aircraft intended to compete with the American F-22 Raptor and F-35. This generation's key features are stealth, the ability to fly at supersonic speeds without afterburners, and advanced avionics and sensors.
However, many experts, including the RAND Corporation and Indian partners, questioned whether the Russian machine meets these criteria. The Indians, who had been involved in the project for 11 years, withdrew in 2018, opting to purchase French Rafales instead. This decision was driven by slow progress in Russia and limited access to technology.
The Su-57 is notable for its size. Its empty weight is about 40,000 lbs, and its wingspan is just over 46 feet. The maximum takeoff weight reaches 66,000 lbs. Weapons are housed in internal bays with six pylons, and six additional pylons can be used on the wings, though this significantly increases its radar signature.
According to Russian sources, the Su-57 is equipped with a sophisticated radar featuring an active electronically scanned array (AESA) and a passive infrared search and track (IRST) system. However, these systems might perform inferiorly to Western solutions. Due to Russia's limited access to advanced electronics, new units might even be equipped with older systems.
The Su-57 is one of the few Russian aircraft capable of carrying the powerful long-range R-37 air-to-air missiles. These missiles, which are derived from the modified MiG-31BM, can take down targets up to 190 miles away, although this typically applies to larger objects such as transport aircraft or AWACS. Additionally, the Su-57 also carries modern Russian Kh-69 cruise missiles.
