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Russian Su-57 lands in Egypt
Photo. mil.ru
Russia has brought the Su-57 to Egypt for the El Alamein International Airshow. This does not mean that Cairo is preparing to buy the aircraft, but the choice of Egypt is important. Moscow is using one of Africa’s largest defence markets to promote its fifth-generation fighter and to show that Russia still wants to compete for major combat-aircraft contracts despite the war in Ukraine and Western sanctions.
The Su-57 arrived in Egypt on 7 September and is being presented together with other Russian systems, including air-to-air weapons and elements of the Pantsir air-defence family. Moscow is therefore not showing only one aircraft. It is trying to present a broader package combining combat aviation and air defence.
Egypt is a particularly interesting market because its air force is already highly diversified. Cairo operates American F-16s, French Rafales and Russian MiG-29M/M2s. At the same time, China is becoming increasingly active. Recent exercises involved J-16 fighters, KJ-500 airborne early-warning aircraft and YY-20A tankers.
This creates a very unusual situation. Rafale, J-16 and now Su-57 are all being demonstrated in the same Egyptian market. It shows how Cairo is trying to maintain relations with several suppliers at the same time and avoid complete dependence on one country.
For Russia, the export dimension of the Su-57 is particularly important. Algeria became the first foreign operator after receiving its first aircraft in late 2025. Moscow has also stated that another foreign customer has signed a contract, although the buyer has not been publicly identified.
Algeria gives Russia an important reference point in Africa. The Algerian Air Force has operated Russian aircraft for decades, including the Su-30, so the transition to the Su-57 is much easier politically and technically than it would be for many other customers. If the aircraft performs well there, Moscow will certainly use Algeria to promote the fighter elsewhere.
Egypt is different. There is no public indication that Cairo has decided to acquire the Su-57. The appearance at El Alamein should therefore be treated primarily as a demonstration and part of a wider Russian export campaign.
The main point is that Russia does not want to disappear from the African combat-aircraft market. Algeria is already an operator, Egypt is now hosting the aircraft, and Moscow is trying to show that the Su-57 can become more than a platform for the Russian Aerospace Forces. Whether it can turn these demonstrations into further contracts is still an open question.
