Russian Su-57 Stealth Fighter successfully evades Radars and Electronic Attacks on NATO Front-lines

CEO of Russia’s state-run corporation Rostec in late December Sergey Chemezov revealed that Russian Aerospace Forces Su-57 fighter aircraft had demonstrated their ability to  evade detection by multiple kinds of radar systems, as well as electronic attacks, when deployed for operations in the Ukrainian theater.

At least our military is satisfied. The aircraft evades all kinds of obstacles very well, I mean radars and electronic warfare systems, he stated before a State Council meeting in the final week of December 2025.

He added that Rostec receives feedback on all equipment deployed in the theater, and that equipment is modernized based on the Armed Forces’ suggestions and comments, with the result that most of the military equipment has been upgraded compared to what it was originally.

The Su-57 has been confirmed to have operated in heavy defended Ukrainian-controlled airspace, most notably in mid-2024 when one of the aircraft was assigned a penetration mission to shoot down a malfunctioning S-70 Okhotnik unmanned stealth aircraft to prevent it from falling into Western hands.

The S-70 was operating near Konstantynivka in the disputed Donetsk region, around 15 kilometers behind Ukrainian lines, which was some of the best defended Ukrainian-held airspace in the theater.

The Su-57’s ability to operate in the area to achieve a visual range kill using an R-74 short range air-to-air missile indicated an advanced radar evading stealth capability.

Other Russian fighter types have given Ukrainian air defenses a wide berth, and relied on firing ballistic or cruise missiles or dropping glide bombs to engage targets from safe distances.

The ability to evade radar locks is among the most significant advantages of fifth generation fighters compared to ‘4+ generation’ fighters. 

Ukraine’s ground-based air defense network is widely considered the most formidable in Europe, and consists at the lower level of very large quantities of man-portable Soviet and Western systems, and at the medium level primarily of Soviet BuK-M1 and S-125 systems.

Longer range systems is service include multiple variants of the Soviet S-300, American MIM-104 Patriot systems, and very long ranged S-200D systems.

The extensive concentration of NATO members’ inventories of air defense equipment in the country has continued to pose challenges to the Russian Aerospace Forces, with the very limited numbers of fifth generation fighters in service being a major limitation on the ability to engage these defenses.

The Su-57 program’s serious delays have thus had highly detrimental effects on the Russian war effort, with no other Russian fighter types having comparable capabilities.

Su-57 combat operations in the Ukrainian theater have included air defense suppression, air-to-air combat, and a wide range of precision strike missions.

Previously speaking at the Dubai Airshow in November, Chemezov elaborated on plans to continue to modernize the Su-57 based on experience employing it in combat.

The aircraft is still being refined…. work is underway toward a comprehensive modernization that will encompass its components, electronics, and weaponry.

He added that the fighter had gained high praise from both international partners and Russian pilots alike, he observed at the time.

The Su-57 was confirmed to have begun deliveries for export in November 2025, namely to Algeria, while a major license production agreement for up to 140 fighters is currently under discussion with the Indian Defense Ministry.

Much regarding the future of the fighter program, including the numbers the Russian Armed Forces will procure, remains uncertain. 

Military Watch Magazine / ABC Flash Point News 2026.