Russian arms seller Rosoboronexport recently announced at China's high-profile international air show at Zhuhai city, where the Sukhoi Su-57 fifth generation fighter jet was one of the star attractions, that the first contract to deliver an export version of the jet has been signed.
Rosoboronexport CEO Alexander Mikheyev said, "The system of military-technical cooperation should bring new armaments and military hardware to the market. We have already signed the first contracts for the Su-57."
He, however, refused to divulge further details about the buyer, even as he said there was great interest shown in the multirole fighter at the airshow.
ALSO READ: Russia-China ties: Stealth is the name of the game in Zhuhai airshow
Mikheyev said Russia's partners from friendly countries want to buy Russian reliable and proven armament and, "correspondently, to support our industry with export orders so that we can develop further and from generation to generation we used to create new products for the next 10-15 years."
CEO of Russia’s state tech corporation Rostec had recently said the export variant Su-57E has the ability to deploy advanced precision weapons. Capable of engaging air, ground and naval targets, the jet features stealth technology with extensive use of composite materials. It can achieve supersonic cruising speeds and is equipped with cutting-edge onboard electronic systems, including a powerful onboard computer.
While the company has not offered any more details about the buyer, a number of countries, including India, have shown interest in the Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet. There have been speculations that Algeria could be the buyer.
READ MORE: Russia's Su-57 fighter jet better than all its counterparts in the world, claims Russian test pilot
Mikheyev had earlier said there were talks with five countries that showed interest in buying the jet. Experts speculate that India, Algeria, Vietnam, and Turkey could be among the countries that evinced interest in buying the Su-57.
While the names of India and Iran are being suggested as the possible buyer, Algeria appears to be the frontrunner although neither Rosoboronexport nor Algeria said anything that would confirm the speculations.