Russia may have transferred its first Su-57 fighter to a foreign country

The video was filmed by local people and published by a military website Defense News Analysis on February 10 showed that Su-57 fighters flew in the airspace believed to be near Oum El Bouaghi air base, northern Algeria. Recording time was not announced.

Observers believe that the Su-57 is flying for technical inspection after transportation or demonstrating its features before being handed over to the customer.

Russian and Algerian officials have not commented on the information.

Algeria has expressed interest in Russia’s stealth fighter since the Su-57E export version debuted at the MAKS 2019 air show in Moscow.

In October 2025, the Black Mirror hacker group announced that it had captured a number of documents from the Russian state defense corporation Rostec, including information that Algeria had ordered 12 Su-57E fighter jets and 14 Su-34E fighter bombers. The total value of the Su-57E order is said to be about two billion USD.

A month later, Russia confirmed that it had delivered two Su-57E fighters to foreign customers, but did not name them. This is considered an important deal for Russia as the country seeks to maintain arms exports, a field that has declined due to the impact of the Ukraine conflict.

Robert Palladino, head of the Near East Department of the US State Department, said last week that Washington considered this contract “one of the problems” in relations with Algiers. He warned that such deals could lead to sanctions from the US.

The Su-57 is Russia’s 5th generation multi-role fighter, built to destroy all types of targets in the air, on land and at sea. The Su-57 is covered with radar absorbing material and has an optimal design for stealth against electronic reconnaissance equipment. Each aircraft can carry a total of 6 weapons in its body, including 4 in two abdominal compartments and two missiles in two side compartments.

The Su-57E version seems to possess a number of differences with domestic Russian aircraft, including the enemy-us identification system. The manufacturer can also modify the control software to display Western specifications, English labeling of cockpit components and add the ability to use non-Russian weapons upon customer request.

Algeria’s national television channel reported in February 2025 that the country’s pilots were being trained to operate Su-57 fighters in Russia, after the North African country signed a purchase contract and became the first foreign customer of this aircraft.

Some sources say that Algeria may order 6 aircraft in the first order for evaluation and reception by the end of 2025, then sign a larger order in the future.