Recently, some media reported that the Middle East has gathered a 120,000-strong US military force, which has aroused curiosity about whether the Trump administration intends to attack Iran. However, the development of this situation depends on the attitude of Russia. At a critical moment, Russian President Vladimir Putin showed a killer feature. It is reported that when Putin inspected Akhtubinsk, six Su-57 fighters were escorted in a high-profile manner, raising the question: once war breaks out, will Russia be able to shoot down how many American F22 fighters? This has sparked widespread discussion, and many netizens believe that the United States will suffer huge losses.
The Su-57 is one of the most advanced aircraft of the Russian Air Force, and its development began at the beginning of the 21st century and was led by the Sukhoi company. At that time, the United States already had stealth fighters, and Russia recognized the need to catch up to avoid being technologically overtaken. Thus, the Su-57 project became the core program of the Russian military industry. However, due to financial and technical problems, the development process of the Su-57 once lagged behind. However, the recent escort of Su-57 fighters to Putin shows that the Su-57 of the Russian Air Force has initially become operational.
In the confrontation between the Su-57 and F22, each has its strengths and weaknesses. As a rising star, the Su-57 integrates many advanced technologies and has the advantage of being a latecomer. In addition, the F22, because it has been in service for a long time, has exposed a number of weaknesses and flaws, which gives Russia the opportunity to technically surpass the F22 by improving the design. However, the stealth performance of the Su-57 has been questioned by the outside world, and there are problems with the electronic system. If inferior to the F22 in terms of electronics, then it may be constrained in real combat.
Another challenge is the high price of the Su-57. Russia faces economic challenges and a chronic shortage of military spending, so large-scale equipment and deployment of the Su-57 has become a problem. By comparison, the U.S. already has more than 180 F-22s and even more F-35s. This creates an overwhelming advantage in quantity and quality. In real combat, Russia may be at a disadvantage if it does not gain numerical superiority.
It should be noted that modern air combat is a systematic combat process, of which fighters are only a part. AWACS aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft, satellites and other systems are all key components of the combat system. From this point of view, the current system combat capabilities of the Russian Air Force are inferior to those of the United States. Therefore, improving the overall system combat capability may be the key to Russia's victory over the United States.