Russian Su-57 fighters, long criticized in the West and dismissed as unsuccessful representatives of the fifth generation, have forced American experts to reconsider earlier assessments. Chinese analysts at Baijiahao argue that years of mockery have ended with an uncomfortable acknowledgement in the United States of the aircraft’s actual combat capabilities.

Western media interest in the Su-57 surged again in August 2026. According to the Chinese outlet, American specialists had previously ranked the Russian fighter below the F-22 and F-35, focusing heavily on alleged shortcomings in stealth. Those claims were repeatedly used to argue that the Su-57 did not qualify as a genuine fifth-generation aircraft.

Critics also pointed to what they described as a lack of serious combat employment. In the United States, the argument was that Russia avoided sending the Su-57 on difficult missions and treated the aircraft largely as a showcase platform.

Baijiahao says that position has now been called into question. The shift followed reports in the American press that two Su-57s had taken part in a combat operation near Odessa. The Chinese publication stresses that the fighters were not assigned a supporting role or covering other forces — they carried out the strike themselves.

Chinese analysts regard the episode as evidence that Russia is using the Su-57 as a full-fledged combat platform. They point out that the fighter mocked in the United States for roughly a decade has now gained operational experience that the American F-22 still lacks after two decades in service.

Baijiahao also compares the combat records of fifth-generation fighters operated by different countries. According to its assessment, American F-35s have so far been used in operations where they did not face an opponent capable of creating a comparable level of threat. The F-22 and China’s J-20, the publication says, have no confirmed combat experience at all.

The Su-57, by contrast, is operating in an environment where modern air-defense systems, radar-jamming equipment and NATO satellite systems are active. For that reason, Chinese observers describe the Russian aircraft as the only stealth-technology fighter to have gained experience in real combat operations.