El-Alamein, Egypt, Sept. 10 – Russian state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport marketed drone-like missiles for the Sukhoi Su-57 fifth-generation stealth fighter jet at its Africa air show debut in Egypt. The Su-57 flew over arid terrain near El Alamein International Airport on the Mediterranean coast during the exhibition’s second edition, designed to establish Egypt as a gateway for African and Middle Eastern defense markets seeking advanced aviation technology and hybrid weapons systems.
Displayed in the Russian pavilion were S-71M and S-71K missiles combining cruise missile traits with low-cost attack drone characteristics. A Rosoboronexport official confirmed this as their first public showing despite prior combat employment and characterized the weapons as neither purely drone nor missile but a hybrid suited to contemporary conflicts involving the export-model Su-57 rivaling the F-35 Lightning II.
The Su-57 export variant had earlier appeared in China, India and the United Arab Emirates. China simultaneously exhibited its J-16 fighter shortly after joint Egyptian exercises marking that aircraft’s initial African deployment. Companies from Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt also presented drone-centric offerings while military delegations from Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Kuwait examined available systems.
Consultant Mohammed Al-Sayed of Egyptian firm Amstone International Group noted robust attendance, underscoring Egypt’s emerging status as a regional defense market entry point. The El Alamein airshow therefore highlighted expanding demand across Africa for innovative hybrid munitions and fifth-generation platforms amid evolving aerial warfare requirements.