Report: Drone Strikes Down Russian Advanced Fighter Jet in Ukraine
Russia is quite vigilant regarding its Su-57 aircraft, considering that their military only has a limited number of these jets. There are rumors of Ukraine targeting their base using drones, with one of the jets ending up damaged.
The Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service (GUR) has confirmed that Ukrainian troops have successfully hit a Su-57 jet for the first time. This is according to satellite images shared by GUR. They declared it a "first defeat" of this particular aircraft model in their official statement.
There is no information on how exactly the most modern Russian aircraft was hit or which unit was involved. Russian military blogger Fighterbomber shared in his Telegram channel that the claim was correct and that the jet had been hit by a drone. He also revealed that three drones were used for the operation. The Su-57 stealth jet is believed to have been damaged by shrapnel and is currently undergoing a check to see if it can be repaired.
The Su-57 is classified as a fifth-generation jet, similar to the American F-35 fighter jets. Russia allegedly have a limited number of these jets in their inventory and they've been using them sparingly.
"Luxury plaything" for the Russians
The Ukrainian Air Force had mentioned in April about the presence of this "luxury plaything" in air assaults on Ukraine. The Su-57 stealth jets are capable of carrying missiles, which are also employed in attacks on civilian Ukrainian infrastructure. However, the Russians had been keeping these aircraft at a distance away from Ukrainian air defense to avoid any potential harm.
The attack on the Russian stealth jet happened at the Akhtubinsk airfield in the Astrakhan region, as per Ukrainian reports. This airbase is situated approximately 600 kilometers behind the front line. GUR's satellite images show the jet in a state of disrepair after an explosion, despite appearing intact on Friday before the attack occurred. Russia reported a drone attack on various regions, including Astrakhan, on Saturday. The British Defense Ministry had previously indicated in January that Su-57 jets were held at the airfield. There were five fighter jets stationed there at the time, according to the reports.
In recent times, Ukraine has successfully thwarted several attacks through long-range drone raids. In some instances, these drones were located more than 1200 kilometers away.
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The success of using drones to target Russia's limited Su-57 jets has become a concern for Moscow, amidst ongoing tensions with Ukraine. Despite the Russian military keeping these fifth-generation jets, similar to the American F-35s, at a distance due to potential harm, a drone attack near the Akhtubinsk airfield in Russia resulted in damage to one of these stealth jets.
