The Russian Air Force’s most elite squadron will be the first to receive the Su-57 Felon stealth fighter.
The 23rd Combat Airborne Regiment of the Russian Aerospace Forces, headquartered close to Komsomolsk-on-Amur (KnAAZ) in the Far East, will receive the most recent generation Su-57 Felon stealth jets. Since 1939, Dzyomgi Airport has existed. It has been run up to now by the 23rd Fighter Regiment and the Sukhoi Design Bureau’s KnAAZ aviation plant, which also gives the unit above priority in receiving Su-57.
The 23rd Regiment received Su-27 Flanker fighters in 1985, and Su-35S in 2014. The unit’s pilots will start learning how to fly the fifth-generation Su-57 Felon stealth fighters in 2023. The 23rd Regiment is expected to receive an unspecified number of Su-57 stealth fighters. The fact that at least 10 of the aforementioned fighter prototypes have been made so far should be noted. Additionally, the delivery of at least 76 Su-57s is mandated by the contract between the Sukhoi Design Bureau and the Russian Ministry of Defense for the years 2019 to 2027, but actual progress is being held up and difficult to accomplish on time.
The introduction of the series of aircraft and the completion of all integrated combat systems go hand in hand. The new batch of Su- 30SM2 has AL-41 engines that were initially intended for the Su-57; the Izdeliye-30 will take their place on the Felon. Additionally, the intelligent crew support system and future combat complexes, including the large unmanned aerial vehicle S-70 Okhotnik, designed to incorporate the Su-57, are being hurriedly finished.
The 23rd Regiment’s fighters have actively participated in Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine despite being headquartered in the Far East. The “Allied Solution” military exercise between Russia and Belarus also included the 23rd Regiment’s pilots. The Su- 355 and Su-30SM fighters moved from Baranovichi to Voronezh after the joint exercise was finished.
The enemy aircraft target was successfully brought down by the fighters of the 23rd Regiment during the exercise, according to repeated reports from the Russian Defense Ministry. The regiment was given the nickname “bodyguard” in recognition of its active participation in the special operation. Major Viktor Dudin and Lieutenant Colonel Ilya Sizov, both pilots, received the honour of being named Russian Federation Heroes.
General Sergei Surovikin, head of special military operations, noted the effective application of the newest fighters on the Ukrainian battlefield in October 2022. According to General Surovikin, “Su-57 is outfitted with a range of cutting-edge armaments, and in each type of battle, it accomplishes multiple duties at once, including killing air and ground targets.”
However, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and NATO intelligence claim that there is no proof that the Su-57 Felon, Russia’s most sophisticated stealth fighter, has actually taken part in the conflict.
