A Russian Su-57 fighter jet has crashed during tests in the country’s Far East, news agencies reported Tuesday.
The incident occurred days before Russia’s Aerospace Forces were due to receive their first serial-produced Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet. Its developer Sukhoi plans to deliver a total of 67 Su-57s to the Russian Aerospace Forces by 2028. The Sukhoi Design Bureau plans to deliver initial production variant Su-57 by May 2020 to RuAF for trial and training purposes.
The Su-57 crashed during a test flight 111 kilometers from its home airfield,” Russia’s state-controlled United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) said as quoted by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.
Its civilian pilot catapulted and survived the crash in the Khabarovsk region, Interfax cited an unnamed source as saying.
Russia has tested the Sukhoi Su-57 in Syria and showcased it at military parades. The aircraft had been tested at least twice in Syria, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, said last week.
An unnamed Russian military official told RIA Novosti that pilot error is believed to have caused the Su-57 crash. The previous Su-57 crash was contributed by a faulty flight control system.
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