Deliveries of new Lockheed Martin F-35 ‘Lightning’ stealth fighters to the US and allied militaries have resumed after a year-long pause. And on the other side of the world, Korean Aerospace Industries in South Korea is building the first batch of KF-21 stealth fighters.
In Russia, however, production of the Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter – Nato reporting name ‘Felon’ – has stalled. And there’s one main reason why.
“It’s clear that Russia’s military industry heavily depends on Western components, particularly in electronics,” explained Frontelligence Insight, a Ukrainian analysis group.
Sanctions put into place by Western governments in the 31 months since Russia widened its war on Ukraine have throttled the supply of this critical hardware. As a result, “production of the Su-57 is in jeopardy,” Frontelligence Insight concluded.
A big, fast fighter with radar-evading qualities, the single-seat, twin-engine Su-57 is Russia’s answer to the United States’ Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. It’s meant to replace old Mikoyan MiG-29s and Sukhoi Su-27s and variants in Russian air force service.
Deliveries of new Lockheed Martin F-35 ‘Lightning’ stealth fighters to the US and allied militaries have resumed after a year-long pause. And on the other side of the world, Korean Aerospace Industries in South Korea is building the first batch of KF-21 stealth fighters.
In Russia, however, production of the Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighter – Nato reporting name ‘Felon’ – has stalled. And there’s one main reason why.
“It’s clear that Russia’s military industry heavily depends on Western components, particularly in electronics,” explained Frontelligence Insight, a Ukrainian analysis group.
Sanctions put into place by Western governments in the 31 months since Russia widened its war on Ukraine have throttled the supply of this critical hardware. As a result, “production of the Su-57 is in jeopardy,” Frontelligence Insight concluded.
A big, fast fighter with radar-evading qualities, the single-seat, twin-engine Su-57 is Russia’s answer to the United States’ Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. It’s meant to replace old Mikoyan MiG-29s and Sukhoi Su-27s and variants in Russian air force service.