The brief Syria deployment of Russia’s Su-57 fifth-generation fighters that made headlines around the world can now be seen in newly released Defense Ministry footage, showing the jets flying sorties and returning to base.
The Russian Defense Ministry has released an astonishing video showing a pair of Russia’s cutting-edge Su-57s testing ground in Syria. The jets are seen taking off from an undisclosed location – presumably, Russia’s Khmeimim air base in Syria’s northeast – before flying up.
The Su-57s are then filmed traversing the skies over Syria. At some point the camera gets so close that the pilot’s actions can easily be seen inside the cockpit.
The video also shows the stealth jets simultaneously landing on the runway, with or without the parachute brakes.
The planes, which flew a total of ten sorties, were pushed to the limit as the military wanted to see how they would perform during a real-life mission. The jets’ aerodynamics, avionics, fire control, and weapons systems were all put to test amid high temperatures and complicated terrain, the ministry said on Facebook.
