Algeria Algerian Air Force Receives Su-57s From Russia

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Arab World’s First Stealth Fighters Delivered: Algerian Air Force Receives Su-57s From Russia​

Africa and South America , Aircraft and Anti-Aircraft​

Military Watch Magazine Editorial Staff
November-18th-2025

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Su-57 Fighter

Russia has delivered the first to Su-57 fighters to Algeria, marking the first time that a fifth generation combat jet other than the American F-35 is exported. CEO of the state run United Aircraft Corporation Vadim Badekha confirmed the delivery, and stated that the aircraft are now in active service. “They have entered combat duty and are demonstrating their best qualities. Our customer is satisfied,” he stated. The corporation previously announced that “stable serial production of the Su-57 allows for more active work to promote the aircraft on the international market,” adding that “the presence of a fifth generation fighter in Russia, especially one proven in real combat conditions, is a sign of technological sovereignty and the high level of technology our country possesses.” Although Russian sources did not explicitly state which country had received the fighters, it was previously confirmed that Algeria would receive two fighters before the end of the year, as the only confirmed client for the aircraft.

Russian Aerospace Forces Su-57 Fighters

Algeria has consistently been considered a leading possible client for the Su-57, with significant signs having emerged since 2020 that the country’s defence ministry was planning to procure the aircraft. Algerian military officials were seen holding models of the Su-57 on state television that year while in talks with visiting Russian officials, with a collage of the fighter having also been installed at the Defence Ministry a few weeks beforehand, indicating a decision had been reached. A statement from Algerian state media on February 12, 2025, confirmed the first Su-57s would arrive in the country before the January the following year, with a subsequent statement by the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation press office reaffirming that export deliveries would begin by that time. Russian officials’ confirmation of the beginning of the deliveries coincides with the beginning of the Dubai Air Show, where a Su-57 flight prototype has been sent to demonstrate the aircraft’s capabilities to other possible clients.

Dimitry Shugayev and Said Chengriha with Su-57 Fighter Model in Algeria in 2020

The Algerian Air Force is considered to have by far the greatest combat potential of the fleets African, Arab and Muslim-majority countries, with the NATO assault against its neighbour Libya in 2011 having been a major factor stimulating greater investment in advanced aerial warfare capabilities. Alongside the Su-57, Algeria received a small number of Su-35S air superiority fighters near the beginning of the year, with the appearance of Su-34 strike fighters in Algerian Air Force colours in Russia indicating that a contract for the sale of these aircraft may have also been signed. In October a leaked pricing table from the Russian state arms conglomerate Rostec indicated that Algeria was scheduled to receive two Su-57s, and a squadrons’ worth each of Su-34s and Su-35s.

Su-57 with Kh-58UShKE Anti-Radiation Missiles

Sales to Algeria are expected to add greater momentum to Russian efforts to export the Su-57, with the African state known to have among the highest standards among major clients for non-Western combat jets, including a history of rejecting fighter aircraft that are considered to be of unsatisfactory quality. The sale will build on the prestige the Su-57 has gained as by far the most heavily combat tested fighter of its generation, with the aircraft having been employed for missions including air defence suppression, air to air combat, and operations in heavily defended enemy airspace. The Su-57 deploys a wider range of beyond visual range air-to-ground munition types than any other of its generation, and alongside its primary armament the Kh-59MK2 cruise missile, it was seen in early November carrying Kh-58UShKE anti-radiation missiles in its weapons bays. The competing F-35 notably has yet to integrate any type of beyond visual range air-to-ground missile type, let alone test it in combat, which is among the factors that could give the Su-57 an advantage in its appeal.

Arab World’s First Stealth Fighters Delivered: Algerian Air Force Receives Su-57s From Russia

Algeria has consistently been considered a leading possible client for the Su-57, with significant signs having emerged since 2020 that the country’s defence

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