Russia presents its new stealth plane at the Zhuhai Airshow, China

Russia demonstrated its latest 5th generation fighter jet, the Sukhoi SU 57 stealth aircraft, in southern China.

It is the equivalent of the Paris Air Show in Asia. The Zhuhai Air Show ends on Sunday November 17 in southern China. Beijing took the opportunity to present its new stealth fighter plane for the first time. But in the midst of the war in Ukraine, the Chinese show was especially marked by the presence of Russia. Beijing clearly wanted to give the Russian army a helping hand.

A helping hand that allows Russia to present its latest 5th generation fighter plane to the whole world. The stealth plane Sukhoï SU 57. The Russians, who have been subject to international sanctions since the war in Ukraine, have almost no opportunity to present and sell their military equipment. Aside from the Moscow show, they do not have access to the main international aeronautics fairs, Le Bourget in France, Farnborough in the United Kingdom or even Singapore.

This week is therefore a great showcase offered by China, in this show in Zhuhai in the presence of numerous foreign, Asian, African and even European delegations. The Russian plane is on display in one of the large aisles of the show. Tuesday, the Sukhoï 57 took part in the demonstrations in the Chinese sky in front of all the officials, applauded by thousands of spectators.

However, it is difficult to know whether Russia has found potential buyers. On the Russian side, it is indicated that the Zhuhai show will allow the very first exports of the device. But Moscow is not saying which country might be interested. Iran is mentioned or even North Korea and Algeria, but without certainty and without official confirmation. So far, the SU 57 has really not mobilized potential buyers, who lack information on the performance and reliability of the device in combat situations. Only one release was mentioned on the war in Ukraine.

In any case, the Russian fighter plane caused a sensation among the Chinese public. Not surprising, given the close relations between Beijing and Moscow and the assumed military cooperation, a large audience comes to admire the Russian plane. Photos in front of the camera, but also selfies with the Russian soldiers, totally uninhibited Chinese. A young man confirmed to us that the war in Ukraine was not the topic of the day and that Russia was above all a friendly country.