BERLIN — Recent footage captured by a potato farmer has seemingly verified that Algeria is the initial nation to acquire the advanced fifth-generation Su-57 stealth fighter jet from Russia.
The video, circulated online, exhibits the unique outline of Russia’s latest fighter jet set against a clear blue sky, soaring over a terrain of expansive hills typical of northern Algeria. The source of the video has been traced back to a TikTok user who posts under the name doz.kbran, and who is known to share content related to Algerian football and urban landscapes.
This footage was reportedly filmed near the Oum El Bouaghi Air Base, situated close to the town of Ain Beida. The topography and environmental attributes of the area around the base align with those depicted in the video.
Algeria’s interest in acquiring the stealth jet was sparked during a delegation’s visit to the 2019 MAKS air show in Moscow, where the Su-57E export model was first showcased.
In October 2025, a cyberattack orchestrated by the hacker group Black Mirror unveiled documents from Rostec, a Russian state-owned enterprise, indicating that Algeria had placed an order for 12 Su-57 jets. Additionally, the documents revealed an Algerian order for 14 Su-34 fighter-bombers.
A leaked spreadsheet, which featured the logo of AO Kret, an avionics provider that equips both aircraft for the Sukhoi company, listed the avionics systems for the Su-57 at approximately $200 million for a dozen jets.
The total cost of Algeria’s Su-57 purchase was widely reported in Russian aviation media circles as approximately $2 billion for 14 jets. Confirmation of the deal from Algerian sources was received by Russia’s state-operated Sputnik news site in late 2020, although the specifics regarding the final order quantity—whether 12 or 14 jets—and the cost were not clear.
In November 2025, Russia affirmed that two Su-57 fighters had been delivered to an undisclosed foreign client, believed to be Algeria.
The acquisition of the Su-57 marks Algeria as the first country, apart from Russia, to operate this aircraft. This significant arms sale is crucial for Russia as it seeks to sustain a vital revenue source amid reduced business due to its military activities in Ukraine. Moscow has identified authoritarian regimes, especially those in Africa and the Middle East, as dependable purchasers, largely due to their reluctance to bow to Western criticism of Russia.
“This arms transaction is one of the concerns the United States has with Algeria,” stated Robert Palladino, head of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, in a recent Senate committee meeting. He noted that such acquisitions “may trigger” sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
The deployment of this sophisticated fighter jet in Algeria is part of a broader modernization strategy for the nation’s air force and could potentially alter the regional balance of power in favor of Russia’s ally. The longstanding dispute between Algeria and its western neighbor Morocco remains one of North Africa’s most significant tensions.
The introduction of the Su-57 into Algeria’s arsenal could potentially provoke a regional arms race or rekindle conflicts along the border, which has been closed since 1994.
In November 2024, Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita issued a severe warning, claiming that Algeria is aiming for “escalation” and that there are “signs that demonstrate Algeria’s intent to initiate a war in the region and a military confrontation with Morocco.”
Algeria has rejected these allegations as “projection” and has dismissed them as baseless provocations.
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Jamal Peterson reports on defense, aerospace, and tech policy. With a military background and a strategic mind, he dissects complex subjects with clarity, offering readers sharp, reliable insights.
