Russia has deployed their top of the line SU-57's to Syria

Satellite imagery showing two SU-57's. The Drive/The War Zone.

New satellite images show Russia has deployed their newest fifth generation SU-57 to Syria. The Drive/The War Zone. The SU-57, previously known as the T-50 is Russia's newest fighter. At least two of the fighters have been captured via satellite, with unconfirmed reports of a third. Russia usually deploys four fighters to Syria at a time so it is likely they have four fighters at Khmeimim Air Base. The deployment is seen as both as an advertising effort for foreign buyers for the SU-57's and as an effort to test the jets performance against US forces in Syria. 

#Sukhoi T-50 PAK FA shows off its latest paint scheme at Zhukovsky Airfield #Russia #avgeek pic.twitter.com/LtoS5Lu67K

— Ian Keddie (@IanJKeddie) February 19, 2016

My Comment:
An interesting deployment for the Russians. The SU-57's are brand new so it is somewhat surprising that they would risk deploying them. Losing one of them to mechanical failure or enemy action would be a huge embarrassment.

And it's not like there isn't a risk of a combat loss. Though I doubt one of these planes would be shot down due to Syrian rebels anti-air capabilities, they could still be brought down on the ground. Khmeimim Air Base has come under several major attacks including a massive drone attack. And even though the chances of a rebel shooting down a SU-57's with MANPADS is pretty unlikely, it could still happen. The risk of losing at least one of these jets due to enemy action is fairly high and is a major risk. .

That being said the Russians may feel it is worth the risk. They are trying to get a deal with India to sell the plane to them and now they can say the jet has been tested in combat. If the SU-57's perform well in combat then the Indians may decide to order them, or order more of them then they would have otherwise.

Of course that's not the only reason for the Russians to do this. It also has a lot to do with the United States. The obvious idea is to test the capabilities of these fighters. With America's newest fighters, the F-22 and F-35, deployed to Syria this deployment could be used to test how the SU-57's stack up. It would also work well as a real world test for the SU-57.

Indeed, Syria has been a great way for the Russians to test their weapons system. It was the first time they ever used an aircraft carrier in combat and they have used new bombs, missiles, planes and arms in general in the warzone. Doing so with the SU-57 isn't anything new.

However, I think this is also a message to the United States as well. They are telling us that they are committed to Syria and are as willing as we are to deploy their most advanced weapons there. They are saying to the United States that they are in it for the long haul.

As for the SU-57 themselves, they are a beautiful plane. Whatever you think of the Russians, their military tech can be very impressive when they actually put their back into it. It seems that they have done so with the SU57's. The rest of the world will now get a chance to see what it can do.