Eurofighter GmbH Eurofighter Typhoon vs Sukhoi Su-57
Eurofighter GmbH Eurofighter Typhoon and Sukhoi Su-57 are both fighter aircraft, compared here on public specifications. The Sukhoi Su-57 leads on range (3,500 vs 2,900 km). Several Russia-origin figures here are manufacturer or state claims with limited independent verification, so treat this comparison as directional.
Verdict
Neither jet has a clean edge on paper. The Su-57 pairs a lower-observability airframe with the long-ranged R-37M, giving it a plausible first-look, first-shot advantage in beyond-visual-range engagements, if its stated low-observability and sensor-fusion claims hold up in practice, which independent analysts continue to dispute. The Eurofighter Typhoon counters with a mature Captor-E AESA radar, the combat-proven Meteor missile and its ramjet-sustained no-escape zone, and a higher thrust-to-weight ratio that favors it in a turning fight. The Typhoon also has a two-decade combat and export track record; the Su-57 has been built and fielded in far smaller numbers, with production and reliability details that remain largely unverified. Tactics, pilot training, and supporting assets (AWACS, EW, tanking) would likely decide any real engagement more than either jet's spec sheet alone.
Analysis by Cole Merrick, Defense-systems data columnist, WeaponSpecs · Last updated 2026-08-06
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Full data
Full spec sheet
 Eurofighter GmbH Eurofighter Typhoon
Wins 6/12 |  Sukhoi Su-57
Wins 6/12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ||
| Max speed (km/h) | 2,495 km/h ✓ | 2,440 km/h |
| Max speed (Mach) (Mach) | 2.35 Mach ✓ | 2 Mach |
| Range (km) | 2,900 km | 3,500 km ✓ |
| Combat radius (km) | 1,389 km | 1,500 km ✓ |
| Service ceiling (m) | 19,812 m | 20,000 m ✓ |
| Rate of climb (m/s) | 315 m/s | N/A |
| Thrust-to-weight | 1.15 ✓ | 1.08 |
| Firepower | ||
| Hardpoints | 13 ✓ | 10 |
| Weapons payload (kg) | 9,000 kg | 10,000 kg ✓ |
| Physical | ||
| Length (m) | 15.96 m | 20.1 m |
| Empty weight (kg) | 11,000 kg | 18,500 kg |
| Combat weight (kg) | 23,500 kg | 35,000 kg |
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
| Propulsion | ||
| Thrust (kN) | 90 kN | 147 kN ✓ |
| Program | ||
| Unit cost (USD) | $124,000,000 | $50,000,000 ✓ |
| Units built | 630 ✓ | 30 |
| Operator countries | 9 ✓ | 1 |
Analysis
Eurofighter GmbH Eurofighter Typhoon vs Sukhoi Su-57: how they match up
Beyond visual range: R-37M vs Meteor
The Su-57 carries the R-37M, a very-long-range, high-speed air-to-air missile intended to threaten support aircraft (tankers, AWACS) and force opposing fighters to fight defensively at range. The Eurofighter Typhoon's primary BVR weapon is the ramjet-powered Meteor, whose sustained motor gives it a large no-escape zone rather than the shortest possible time-of-flight. Both are credible long-range threats built around different problems: the R-37M leans on raw reach and speed, Meteor leans on end-game energy and a wide no-escape envelope. Neither missile's real-world performance against a maneuvering, EW-supported target has been independently demonstrated in a documented engagement between these two aircraft.
Within visual range: thrust vectoring vs canard-delta agility
The Su-57's AL-41F1 engines give it thrust vectoring and a claimed thrust-to-weight ratio around 1.08 at combat weight, built for high angle-of-attack "supermaneuverability" in the Su-27 lineage. The Eurofighter Typhoon is a relaxed-stability canard-delta with a higher thrust-to-weight ratio (around 1.15) and a faster sustained rate of climb, and pilots and analysts have consistently rated it among the most agile fourth-generation-plus airframes flying, including in NATO exercises against fifth-generation types. In a visual-range furball, the Typhoon's energy-maneuverability advantage and the PIRATE IRST's off-boresight cueing are real strengths regardless of how the BVR phase goes.
Stealth and sensors: Byelka AESA vs Captor-E
The Su-57 uses shaping and radar-absorbent coatings for reduced observability plus the N036 Byelka distributed AESA array and the 101KS Atoll electro-optical suite, but Western and independent analysts have repeatedly questioned whether its radar cross-section actually approaches that of the F-22 or F-35, citing visible design compromises like exposed engine faces. The Eurofighter Typhoon makes no low-observability claims at all; instead it fields a mature Captor-E AESA radar (progressively upgraded to ECRS Mk2 on later-standard aircraft) and the PIRATE infrared search-and-track system, giving it a strong non-stealth sensor picture rather than a signature advantage. This is a genuine apples-to-oranges matchup: a jet betting partly on being harder to see, against one betting on seeing first and reacting faster.
Operational record and availability
The Eurofighter Typhoon has flown NATO quick-reaction-alert intercepts continuously since entering service in 2003, saw combat over Libya in 2011, and is in service with nine operators with 630+ built, a long, externally verifiable operational history. The Su-57 entered limited service far more recently, with reports of use in Russia's war against Ukraine; those reports, and the aircraft's true production numbers, come primarily from Russian state or state-adjacent sources and carry the same unverified-claim caveat WeaponSpecs applies to other Russian-origin figures on this site. Publicly documented Su-57 production remains in the low tens of airframes against originally announced plans for hundreds.
Cost and export position
Public unit-cost figures put the Su-57 well below the Eurofighter Typhoon on paper (an estimated figure that Russia itself has not transparently disclosed, versus a flyaway cost drawn from recent Eurofighter export contracts), but cost comparisons across these programs are not apples-to-apples: they reflect different accounting bases, production maturity, and support-package inclusions. On exports, the Typhoon has secured multiple international customers over two decades; the Su-57 has yet to convert its long-discussed India co-development effort or other prospective foreign orders into confirmed deliveries, so its export footprint remains effectively unproven.
Frequently asked questions
Can the Eurofighter Typhoon beat the Su-57 in a fight? +
It is plausible in either direction. The Typhoon has the more mature, combat-tested sensor and weapons package (Captor-E, PIRATE, Meteor) and a higher thrust-to-weight ratio; the Su-57 has a longer-reach missile (R-37M) and a reduced-signature airframe of disputed real-world effectiveness. No documented direct engagement between the two exists, so any verdict is necessarily analytical, not empirical.
Is the Su-57 a true stealth fighter like the F-22 or F-35? +
Russia markets it as fifth-generation and low-observable, but independent analysts widely dispute that its radar cross-section matches Western fifth-generation designs, pointing to visible design compromises such as exposed engine inlets. Its actual signature figures are not publicly verifiable.
Has the Su-57 seen combat? +
Russian sources report limited Su-57 use in the war against Ukraine, but details on sortie counts, roles, and outcomes come mainly from Russian state-linked reporting and are treated as unverified claims, consistent with WeaponSpecs' state-claim caveat for Russian-origin figures.
Does the Eurofighter Typhoon have any stealth features? +
No. The Typhoon is a non-stealth fourth-generation-plus design; it relies on sensor performance (Captor-E AESA, PIRATE IRST), the Praetorian defensive-aids suite, and pilot/weapon quality rather than a reduced radar signature.
Which is faster, Eurofighter GmbH Eurofighter Typhoon and Sukhoi Su-57? +
The Eurofighter GmbH Eurofighter Typhoon is the fastest of the 2 compared here, at 2,495 km/h.
Which has the longer range? +
The Sukhoi Su-57 has the longest range at 3,500 km.
Which carries the larger weapons payload? +
The Sukhoi Su-57 carries the largest weapons payload at 10,000 kg.
Which is cheaper? +
The Sukhoi Su-57 has the lower public unit-cost figure at 50,000,000 USD. Treat this as directional, defense pricing varies by contract and configuration.
Which has the higher max speed (mach)? +
The Eurofighter GmbH Eurofighter Typhoon has the higher max speed (mach) at 2.35 Mach.
Which has the higher combat radius? +
The Sukhoi Su-57 has the higher combat radius at 1,500 km.
Is the Eurofighter GmbH Eurofighter Typhoon better than the Sukhoi Su-57? +
On the public specs we track, Eurofighter GmbH Eurofighter Typhoon and Sukhoi Su-57 are closely matched, Eurofighter GmbH Eurofighter Typhoon leads on max speed, max speed (mach), thrust-to-weight, while Sukhoi Su-57 leads on range, weapons payload, combat radius. See the full spec sheet for the metric-by-metric breakdown.
Where does this comparison data come from? +
Every figure in the table is sourced from public manufacturer pages, defense-ministry releases and reference publications, and is verifiable on each system's spec page. WeaponSpecs does not accept vendor placement.
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