Ukraine claims deep drone strike hits Russian Air Base, destroys Key Su-57 fighter jet
On Sunday, Ukraine’s military announced it had destroyed one of Russia’s cutting-edge fighter jets in a drone strike at a military base well within Russian territory.
The Sukhoi Su-57, also known as the “Felon” by NATO, was hit while on the tarmac at an airbase in the Astrakhan region, located nearly 600 kilometers (372 miles) from the front lines of the conflict. This information was confirmed by Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency (GUR).
In a Telegram post, the agency shared satellite images to back its claim, stating, “The images reveal that the Su-57 was intact on June 7. However, by June 8, craters from the explosion and noticeable fire damage had appeared near the aircraft. A well-known Russian pro-war military blogger, known as Fighterbomber and specializing in aviation, confirmed the report that the Su-57 had indeed been struck by a drone. According to the GUR, the aircraft was stationed at the Akhtubinsk airfield, located 589 kilometers (366 miles) from the front lines of the conflict between Ukrainian and Russian forces.
The Su-57 is a supersonic, twin-engine, fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, intended as Moscow’s counterpart to Western stealth aircraft such as the US Air Force’s F-22 Raptor. However, its development, which started in 2002, has been sluggish, and an Su-57 even crashed during a test flight in 2019, according to the US military.
Since February 2022, Ukraine has been engaged in a full-scale conflict with Russia. Both nations frequently launch strikes with missiles and drones, targeting locations hundreds of kilometers within each other’s territory. Given its limited missile arsenal compared to Moscow, Ukraine has concentrated on developing long-range drones to hit targets deep within Russia. Russian blogger Fighterbomber reported that the fighter jet was damaged by shrapnel, and an assessment is underway to determine if it can be repaired. He mentioned that if the aircraft is declared beyond repair, it would mark the first combat loss of a Su-57.
Alexander Kharchenko, a military correspondent for the Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti, posted a cryptic message. Although he did not directly confirm the strike, he criticized the insufficient number of hangars available to shield military aircraft.
Although the Su-57 was promoted as Russia’s answer to U.S. fifth-generation fighter jets, its development was hindered by delays and a crash in 2019. The manufacturer states that serial production only commenced in 2022. The Su-57 is a versatile heavy fighter jet designed to perform multiple roles on the battlefield.
