The Ukrainian military agency said the plane was among “a few” of its kind in Moscow’s arsenal.
Ukrainian forces attacked a state-of-the-art Russian Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet at an air base in Russia, Kiev’s GUR defense intelligence agency said, sharing satellite images that confirmed the attack.
In a post on Telegram on Sunday, GUR did not specify how the Su-57 was hit or by which Ukrainian military unit, the first attack of its kind.
In one photo, black soot marks and small craters could be seen dotting a strip of concrete around the parked aircraft.
A popular pro-war Russian military blogger, who calls himself Fighterbomber and focuses on aviation, said the report of the attack on the Su-57 was correct and that it had been hit by a drone.
The GUR said the aircraft was parked at the Akhtubinsk airfield, which was 589 km (366 miles) from the front lines in Ukraine.
“The photos show that on June 7th the Su-57 was intact and in [June 8th]there were craters from the explosion and characteristic fire spots caused by fire damage near it,” the GUR said, posting the images alongside the message.
The Ukrainian military agency said the plane, which is capable of carrying stealth missiles hundreds of kilometers, was among “a countless number” of its type in Moscow’s arsenal. According to Russian agency reports, “more than 10” new Su-57s were added to Moscow’s fleet last year, and a total of 76 have been ordered for delivery by 2028.
First combat defeat of the Su-57?
Ukraine has been fighting a full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022.
Ukraine, which lacks the vast arsenal of missiles at Moscow’s disposal, has focused on building long-range drones to attack targets deep inside Russia.
Russian blogger Fighterbomber said the fighter was hit by shrapnel and the damage was being assessed to see if the aircraft could be repaired.
He said that if the plane was deemed beyond repair, it would be the first combat loss of an Su-57.
Russian military bloggers such as Fighterbomber are often seen as sources of information on military losses in the absence of official commentary from the Kremlin. Russia’s Defense Ministry and senior political figures have not commented on Sunday’s alleged attack.
Despite being touted as a Russian fifth-generation fighter that rivals its American counterpart, the Su-57 has been plagued by development delays and an accident in 2019. According to its manufacturer, series production of the aircraft will begin in 2022.
It is a heavy fighter capable of fulfilling a variety of roles on the battlefield.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
