Algerian state television reported this week that Algeria has purchased Su-57 fighter jets from the Russian defense industry, making the country the first export customer for the jets. Pilots are already in Russia learning how to operate the jets, according to the report, and deliveries should get underway already this year.
The report in Algerian media follows several months on from Rosoboronexport’s November 2024 announcement that it had finally inked an Su-57 export agreement. ROE’s director, Alexander Mikheev, reiterated earlier this week alongside the Aero India exhibition that a contract has been completed with an unnamed customer.
It now seems those jets are destined for North Africa. There has not been any confirmation of how many jets Algeria purchased — or what it paid for the aircraft — but Algeria has previously been rumored to be in negotiations for a batch of 14, at a potential cost of $2 billion. That would nominally figure to about $140 million per plane, but it is not known whether that price includes armaments. Those rumors had also suggested that Algeria would expand its order beyond the 14 at a later date.
The Algerian government has significantly hiked its defense budget in recent years alongside the reports of a major arms deal with Russia. For much of the 2010s, Algerian defense spending stood flat at $10 billion annually, but in 2023 the government doubled its spending, to over $20 billion. Military outlays will rise further in the FY2025 budget, to $25 billion. Algeria does not provide much in the way of a breakdown of that topline figure, but the significant growth in its defense budget would certainly help it pay for the Su-57s.
The first jets will be handed over this year, but it may take several years before the full fleet has arrived, considering that deliveries to the Russian Air Force have only been occurring at a low rate since the Su-57 entered serial production. It is likely that just over two dozen serial jets have been built to date.
Acquisition of the aircraft will be a significant upgrade for the Algerian Air Force, even if the quantity on order for now is relatively small, but it is worth watching whether the country procures other aircraft, such as an AWACS, to support the stealth jets.
Military markets analyst, covering Eurasia, Middle East, and Africa.
