What is the cost of building a single Su-57 fighter jet?

Estimates of the Su-57’s per-jet cost vary due to changing exchange rates, production rate, and what subsystems are included. Most public figures for a flyaway Su-57 land between $35 million and $50 million per unit, according to open-source defence reports in 2025. This depends on what is counted engines, avionics, and some weapons will change the figure.

Early Su-57 airframes were more expensive because they carried extra costs for research, tooling and setup. As Russia builds more jets, per-unit cost tends to drop, but the extent depends on production scale and stable supply of materials. Production delays or sanctions can push prices up or down.

A large share of the Su-57’s cost is in its components. Two AL-41F1/“Izdeliye 30” engines, AESA radar, digital EW suite and mission computers make up a big part of the final bill. Downtime or lack of certain Western electronics even post-2022 sanctions can change or increase costs.

When the Russian air force or an export customer signs a contract, it often includes not just the aircraft but spares, initial weapons, support equipment, and documentation. This can add 20 per cent or more above the “airframe-only” figures sometimes shared in official press releases.

Russia’s annual defence budgets prioritise fighter delivery and repairs, but big-ticket assets like the Su-57 may see their annual price “average out” depending on rollout pace and payments. Reported per-unit prices sometimes reflect partial deliveries or adjusted financial schedules.

Export buyers of the Su-57E model could see different prices due to the need for training, spare parts, and offsets. Reports in 2025 suggest that export prices may match or slightly exceed Russia’s domestic invoice, depending on what is bundled or optional.

A Su-57 in 2025 typically costs $35-$50 million to build and fly away, but total costs rise with full support and armament. By comparison, the F-35 costs $80-$110 million.