It is a heavy fighter capable of fulfilling a variety of roles on the battlefield. (File)
Kyiv:
Ukrainian forces struck a state-of-the-art Russian Su-57 fighter jet at an air base in Russia for the first time, Kiev’s GUR defense intelligence agency said on Sunday, showing satellite images that confirmed the attack.
In a post on Telegram, GUR did not specify how the Su-57 was hit or by which Ukrainian military unit.
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 would be 589 km (366 miles) from the front lines in Ukraine between the invading Ukrainian and Russian forces.
“The images show that on June 7 the Su-57 was intact and on (June 8) there were craters from the explosion and characteristic points of fire caused by fire damage near it,” said the GUR, with the images. posted next to the message.
Ukraine has been fighting a full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022. Both sides conduct regular attacks hundreds of kilometers into enemy territory with missiles and drones.
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.
The military correspondent for Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, Alexander Kharchenko, posted a cryptic message that did not directly acknowledge the attack but lamented the lack of hangars to protect military aircraft.
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.
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