Russia has just announced that there is finally a country in the world that thinks the Sukhoi Su-57 Felon is a jet worth buying and is signing the Felon’s first export contract. But this raises an interesting question. Can Russia produce enough fighter jets to replace its losses from all causes, replace old aircraft that have aged past their service lives (or are approaching obsolesce), and have enough left over to export? The Russian Air Force and the Russian aviation industry have experienced a harsh patch over the last eight years, and there are no signs of letting up.
