First Stealth Fighters in Africa and the Arab World: Algeria Receiving Two Su-57s By January

A leaked pricing table from the Russian state arms conglomerate Rostec has indicated that the country’s defence sector is scheduled to deliver two Su-57 fifth generation fighters to Algeria before the end of the year. The release of the document follows statements from Algerian state media on February 12 that the first Su-57s would arrive in the country before the January, and a subsequent statement by the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation press office confirming that export deliveries would begin by that time. Algeria was previously consistently considered the leading potential client for the new fighter, with strong signs having emerged since2020 that the Defence Ministry was planning to make procurements. Algerian military officials were seen holding models of the Su-57 on state television that year during talks with visiting Russian officials, with a collage of the fighter was also installed at the defence ministry a few weeks beforehand.

Algeria’s procurement of fifth generation fighters occurs at a time when Turkey and Israel, which are both considered adversaries strongly aligned with the Western Bloc, have continued to bolster neighbouring Moroccan defence capabilities and deploy forces to the country. Al Qaeda linked jihadist forces in Libya, which are considered hostile to Algeria, have also received extensive Turkish support, including for offensive drone operations. Major U.S.-led military exercises in West Africa have meanwhile also appeared to simulate attacks on Algerian territory, presenting an imminent threat to the country’s security. Within the Middle East and North Africa, Algeria remains the only state to have invested heavily in modern air defence capabilities from non-Western suppliers, with its network of radar and surface-to-air missile systems and fleets of fighter and interceptor aircraft having all been sourced from China and Russia. This makes it effectively the only country in the region that Western Bloc states cannot take military action against without facing significant challenges in the air.

Deliveries of the Su-57 to Algeria have significant implications beyond Africa and the Western Mediterranean, as they not only provide further funding to the program, but may also increase confidence in the program among other potential clients. The announcement of the first fighters’ intended delivery to the Algerian Air Force notably closely coincided with an escalation of efforts to market the aircraft to India, which is expected to make procurements on a much larger scale. Following the reported significant underperformance of the Indian Air Force’s new Rafale fighters during clashes with Pakistani forces in May,an unprecedented offer was made to provide full access to the Su-57’s source code as part of a large license production deal. A combination of confirmed imminent deliveries to Algeria, a perceived urgent need for fighters of the latest generation, highly favourable terms offered by Russia, and the Su-57’s testing in high intensity combat in Ukraine, are thought to have been primary factors leading the Indian Air Force to favour procurements.

Acquiring the Su-57will make Algeria the first country in the world to import a fifth generation fighter type other than the F-35, and the first country in Africa or the Arab world with such a capability. With this procurement Algeria will operate all of Russia’s five new ’4+ generation’ and fifth generation fighter types, including the MiG-29M/35, Su-30MKI/A/SM, Su-34, Su-35 and Su-57, where no other export client operates more than one. Following confirmation in late September by Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces Alexander Maksimtsev that preparations are underway for deliveries of Su-57 fifth generation fighters at an accelerated rate, it is expected that Algeria will receive greater numbers of Su-57s in 2026-2027 to complete a reported initial order for 14 fighters. The Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant in the Russian Far East saw new facilities opened in August 2024 for production of the Su-57, raising the possibility that the increased delivery rate may largely be facilitated by this expansion.