Aero India 2025: World's Most Advanced Fifth-Generation Fighter Jets – Russia's Su-57 and America's F-35 Set for Historic Debut.
Su-57 and F-35 Lightning II to Showcase Next-Gen Stealth and Combat Capabilities in a Landmark Aviation Event
Pramod
Bengaluru – Aero India 2025 is set to make history as it hosts the inaugural joint appearance of two of the world's most advanced fifth-generation fighter jets: Russia's Sukhoi Su-57 and the United States' Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. This landmark event underscores a significant milestone in international defense collaboration and offers attendees a unique opportunity to witness these state-of-the-art aircraft side by side.
Sukhoi Su-57: Russia's Premier Stealth Multirole Fighter
The Su-57 is engineered for both air superiority and strike missions, seamlessly integrating stealth technology with supercruise capability and advanced avionics. Its design emphasizes supermaneuverability, featuring thrust vector control and a blended wing body fuselage. Powered by a pair of AL-41F1 augmented turbofans, each producing 14.5 tonnes of thrust in afterburner, the Su-57 can achieve speeds exceeding Mach 2 and maintain supersonic flight without afterburners at Mach 1.3. Its combat range extends to approximately 3,107 miles, surpassing many of its counterparts.
Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II: The U.S. Stealth Multirole Fighter
The F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-engine, supersonic, stealth multirole strike fighters developed by Lockheed Martin. Designed to perform ground-attack and air-superiority missions, the F-35 emphasizes low observables, advanced avionics, and sensor fusion to provide a high level of situational awareness and long-range lethality. The aircraft features a wing-tail configuration with two vertical stabilizers canted for stealth, leading-edge flaps, flaperons, rudders, and all-moving horizontal tails. Its fixed diverterless supersonic inlets and extensive use of composites contribute to its stealth capabilities. The F-35 can reach speeds up to Mach 1.6 with a full internal weapons load and has a combat radius exceeding 669 nautical miles on internal fuel.
Recent Highlights: F-35 Global Operations
- January 30: U.S. Air Force F-35s conduct combat air patrols in response to Russian military aircraft activity in the Arctic.
- January 27: U.S. Marine Corps F-35s arrive in Guam for joint training exercises with Australian and Japanese F-35s.
- January 20: Dutch F-35s assist allied forces in safeguarding undersea cables in the Baltic Sea.
- January 15: Norwegian F-35s deploy to intercept Russian aircraft approaching Polish airspace.
- January 13: Vermont Air National Guard F-35s deploy to Japan for strategic operations.
F-35A Lightning II: Technical Specifications
Designed to operate from conventional runways, the F-35A is the most common variant operated by the United States Air Force and most international allied customers.
| Specification | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Length | 51.4 ft / 15.7 m |
| Height | 14.4 ft / 4.38 m |
| Wingspan | 35 ft / 10.7 m |
| Wing Area | 460 ft² / 42.7 m² |
| Horizontal Tail Span | 22.5 ft / 6.86 m |
| Weight (Empty) | 29,300 lbs |
| Internal Fuel Capacity | 18,250 lbs / 8,278 kg |
| Weapons Payload | 18,000 lbs / 8,160 kg |
Historic Debut: This marks the first time both the Su-57 and F-35 will be showcased together at Aero India, providing a rare side-by-side comparison of Eastern and Western fifth-generation fighter technology.
Aerial Demonstrations: Attendees can anticipate high-speed aerial maneuvers and tactical displays, highlighting the agility, stealth, and firepower of both aircraft.
The inclusion of both the Su-57 and F-35 at Aero India 2025 underscores India's position as a key hub for international defense and aerospace collaboration. This event offers defense analysts, military personnel, and aviation enthusiasts valuable insights into the capabilities and design philosophies of these advanced fighter jets.
