Possible Su-57 observed on Ukraine bombing mission

Have the Russian Aerospace Forces thrown the Su-57 into the war against Ukraine?

In one of the latest video recordings from Ukraine, a Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) Su-57 jet fighter may have been filmed for the first time on a European combat mission on 9 March during the ongoing invasion.

An eyewitness was able to film the silhouette of the aircraft as it flew overhead, as well as the moment the bridge in Zhytomyr was being hit. Presumably this was the Berdychiv bridge over the Teterev river.

Judging by the comments of the person who filmed the video, the aircraft managed to hit the bridge, but it is unknown whether it was completely destroyed.

Analysis of the video shows that the aircraft was not using missiles for the mission – probably the pilot dropped two dumb bombs or guided weapons.

Information that the Su-57 may be in combat operations in Ukraine is also supported by unconfirmed reports that some Su-57 test pilots from Sukhoi had recently been deployed to the operational VKS forces.

The VKS may be keen to test the Su-57 in more advanced real-world combat conditions than those it encountered previously in Syria, where the enemy had virtually no air defence system.

At the same time, even a theoretical chance of the Ukrainian air defence network bringing down such an advanced aircraft represents a very high political and prestige risk for Russia.

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