See, here's where I have "issues" with these Russian sources of information...
Christmas eve 2019 the first serial SU-57 crashes. We're told it won't affect its introduction into service one bit, full steam ahead.
https://militarywatchmagazine.com/artic ... ed-in-2020 Now we're told the Russian air force is to receive their first production example in December, 2020. HELLO - That's a 1 year delay. And that assumes this one doesn't crash/otherwise have issues that delay its entry into service. Also, it's ONE airframe, not a "serial batch".
A cursory search for "SU-57" on their website brings up a plethora of stories about the bird, most of which come across as "rah rah" pieces that seriously stretch the truth. If you believe those stories, the following countries are in talks and/or ordering it..
China, India, Algeria, Ethiopia, Turkey, Vietnam, Malaysia, the UAE, Iran, Egypt and North Korea - and I probably missed a few. Yet, no firm orders from anyone (other than the Russian air force)?
It's so advanced, they're turning it into a 6th gen, unpiloted drone complete with lasers and artificial intelligence. No wait, it's radar, weapons and other uber-tech is being retro-fitted to their Flanker fleet. And it's going to team with the Hunter drone, which I guess means they'll be doing the two drone shuffle in the near future?
You don't have to follow this program long to know: It's a lot of smoke and mirrors, and very little substance...