The Su-57 landed at Iran’s 9th Tactical Air Force Base in Bandar Abbas, on the south-eastern side of the country, while on its way back from AeroIndia 2025, and has reportedly been stuck on the ground after experiencing engine problems.
The Su-57’s first visit to Iran
Images and videos showing a T-50 (as the prototypes of the Su-57s are known by) on the ground at Iran’s 9th Tactical Air Force Base in Bandar Abbas, on the south-eastern side of the country, have started circulating online. This marks the first time the advanced jet was seen in Iran.
The aircraft, with the bort number ‘054 Blue’, is actually the T-50-4 prototype, which has recently visited India. In fact, the jet stopped by on its way to Russia from AeroIndia 2025, where it performed demonstrations to the crowd and the military, to which Russia is pitching its most advanced fighter. Although no photo has emerged yet, the aircraft had made a stop in Iran also on its way to India.
In addition to the images on social media, satellite imagery obtained by The War Zone show the Su-57 at the base in Iran. The jet is seen parked to the right of an Il-76 cargo aircraft, which was also present in India during the international airshow to support the aircraft.
Russian Su-57 fighter did refueling in the Iranian city of Bandar-Abbas on her way to Russia from the #AeroIndia air show.
Video of her takeoff today from the IRIAF 9th AFB. pic.twitter.com/WvrXapIxna
— Mehdi H. (@mhmiranusa) February 20, 2025
Furthermore, the same image shows two U.S.-made P-3C Orions on the ramp at the air base. In fact, the IRIAF (Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force) owns various U.S.-made aircraft, such as the F-14s, F-4s, F-5s, C-130s and the P-3C, that the country acquired before the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
It is currently unclear if the Su-57 has left Iran. Videos showing the Su-57 leaving the base have circulated online since Feb. 20, 2025. However, there are also reports that the jet, which initially stopped in Iran to refuel, experienced engine troubles shortly after taking off and was forced to return to the base for maintenance.
Russian Su-57 fighter jet visited Iran
The Islamic Republic became the third foreign country after China and India, where the fifth-generation combat aircraft from Russia was presented.
Rosoboronexport reported the signing of contracts for the supply of Su-57E abroad. According… pic.twitter.com/9oYRXOg3Xg
— Zlatti71 (@Zlatti_71) February 25, 2025
The Su-57 then reportedly attempted to leave the next day, when it encountered again problems and had to conduct a second emergency landing. Photos also show the Su-57 without its canopy after the alleged second emergency landing. These reports are not confirmed, but could be plausible, considering that satellite images from Feb. 21, show the jet still at the base and the Su-57 has a troubled relationship with its engines.
#Breaking: The Su-57 prototype, which was en route from #India to #Russia after participating in #AeroIndia2025, remains grounded at the 9th Tactical Fighter Base of the #Iranian Air Force. The aircraft encountered an engine failure yesterday, followed by another technical issue… pic.twitter.com/StKYUFoWg5
— Babak Taghvaee – The Crisis Watch (@BabakTaghvaee1) February 21, 2025
Currently, the Su-57 has only visited countries with very close ties to Russia, such as China and India. As such, the visit reflects the strong bond between Iran and Russia, which is also reflected in the IRIAF’s inventory: besides the old U.S.-made fighters still in service, Iran also operates Soviet and Russian aircraft like the Su-24, MiG-29 and YAK-130. In addition, Iran also claims that it is in the process of receiving advanced Su-35S fighters from the Russians. It is unclear whether the Su-57 was inspected by any Iranian officers on this ‘visit’.
The Su-57 in Zhuhai 2024 and AeroIndia 2025
The Su-57 made its international debut last November, when it made a trip to Zhuhai, a city in southern China, for the Biennial Airshow China. T-50s with bort numbers ‘054 Blue’ and ‘057 Blue’ attended the show: While 054 served as the flight demonstrator, and performed a short but exciting demo on every day of the show, 057 served as a static demonstrator and did not fly, becoming a highlight in the static display park.
On the way to and from Zhuhai, the T-50 ‘054 Blue’ flew through Taiyuan, an airport in northern China. On the other hand, ‘057 Blue’ flew aboard a Russian Air and Space Forces An-124 that flew without any intermediate stops within China.
The T-50 took center stage again at a global aviation expo during the abovementioned AeroIndia. ‘054 Blue’ was again the airframe displayed, and it was piloted by Sukhoi’s chief test pilot Sergey Bogdan (who also flew the displays in China). The event received global attention, since the United States Air Force’s F-35A also attended and flew displays, marking the first time the two fifth-generation aircraft met face-to-face.
