TASS, August 21. The latest Su-57 fighters have shown themselves brilliantly in terms of weaponry during Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, the country’s Defense Minister Army General Sergey Shoigu said in an interview with the Rossiya-1 TV channel on Sunday.

"We can <…> [say] we have used and are using the Su-57 aircraft. This aircraft has shown itself brilliantly. The aircraft has a very high degree of protection against various air defense systems, has protection against missiles. There is a lot of stuff there. <...> Most importantly, it has very powerful weapons. We also tried and tested these weapons, they work brilliantly, I can't find another word for it," Shoigu said in reply to a question about the use of the latest Russian equipment on combat targets during special operations.

In May, a source reported to TASS about the use of Su-57 fighter jets by the Russian Aerospace Forces during the military special operation in Ukraine. The Su-57 was tested for the first time in actual combat operations in Syria in 2018. As it was previously reported, the Russian Air Force would receive 22 Su-57 jets by the end of 2024, and by 2028 their number will be increased to 76. The first fighter jet entered the troops in 2020.

The Su-57 is designed to destroy all types of air, ground and surface targets. The aircraft has a supersonic cruising speed, in-fuselage armament, radio absorption coating (stealth technology), as well as the latest complex of onboard equipment.