| That’s an SU-35 fighter, which is the most modern Russian SU thingy we have in the Rantburg image file. |
[19fortyfive] Russia's air chiefs largely remain "risk averse" to employing the Su-57 in combat, the Evening Standard reported on Monday, citing the latest intelligence briefing from the UK Ministry of Defense, which noted on social media, "Since at least June 2022, Russian Aerospace Forces have almost certainly used Su-57 FELON to conduct missions against Ukraine. FELON is Russia's most advanced fifth-generation supersonic combat jet, employing stealth technologies and highly advanced avionics." The MoD added, "These missions have likely been limited to flying over Russian territory, launching long range air-to-surface or air-to-air missiles into Ukraine," while recent commercially available imagery apparently showed five Su-57s "parked" at Akhtubinsk Air Base, which hosts the 929th Flight Test Center.
--------
Putin not afraid of losing 100k+ soldiers killed and more wounded.