MOSCOW – The Sukhoi Su-57 is better than its American counterparts,linkRussianMaj. General Vladimir Popov stated on Saturday. According to the veteranmilitary pilot, the F-22 is too expensive and needs numerous improvements,while the F-35 is overloaded with sophisticated technologies that make itdifficult to operate.

At the same time, he noted that the Su-57 can reach Mach-plus speedswithout afterburning and has high manoeuvrability.[image: Su-57 test flight over Astrakhan, Russia.]

The F-35 Lightning II and the F-22 Raptorlinkareboth designed by Lockheed Martin and serve as the newest fifth-generationfighter jets in the American military. While production of the F-22 wasterminated in 2011, with only 195 planes built, the F-35 programme is stillactive, with deliveries to the US military scheduled until 2037.

The Russian aircraft, however, is expected to cost only 40 percent of theAmerican jet’s pricelinkatroughly $40 to $45 million per plane, compared to the F-35, which costsover $100 million, making it a more interesting option to purchase forcountries that don’t have their own fifth-generation jet in the works.

According to The National Interest, the Su-57 could be purchasedlinkbyChina, India, Myanmar, Algeria, and Turkey – especially after the USsuspended Ankara from the F-35 programme, Sputnik has reported.