A new day brings new losses. Russian Telegram channels are reporting that a military aircraft has crashed several kilometers from the town of Zvenigorod in Russia’s Moscow region. According to preliminary reports, the aircraft may have been a Su-57, the only fifth-generation fighter currently in service with the Russian military.
According to the Telegram channel Astra, the pilot managed to eject before the aircraft went down. Witnesses reportedly saw a parachute descending but were unable to determine the pilot’s condition. Meanwhile, photos circulating on multiple Telegram channels appear to show a burning object in the middle of a field, with a large column of black smoke rising above the crash site.
Local media, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense, reported that the military training aircraft crashed during takeoff. According to the ministry, the pilot successfully ejected and is not in danger. Officials also stated that the aircraft came down in an unpopulated area, with no damage reported on the ground. A technical malfunction has been identified as the preliminary cause of the crash.
However, the Ministry of Defense did not specify which type of aircraft was involved. If reports that the aircraft was a Su-57 are confirmed, the incident would represent a significant loss for Russia’s military aviation. Moscow considers the Su-57 to be one of its most advanced combat platforms, designed for both air superiority and strike missions. The aircraft also incorporates capabilities intended to operate in contested air defense environments, while the overall fleet remains relatively limited.
The Su-57 is marketed as a fifth-generation fighter, although a number of aviation experts and defense analysts have questioned whether it fully meets the criteria typically associated with that classification. The aircraft made its maiden flight on January 29, 2010, and entered service with the Russian military in 2020. Estimates suggest that the procurement cost of a single Su-57 for the domestic market ranges from approximately $35 million to $50 million, while export variants and additional support packages could be priced considerably higher. The exact circumstances of the crash remain under investigation.
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Source: united24media
