Why a Russian Su-57 Shot Down Its Own S-70 Okhotnik Stealth Wingman Drone: Friendly Fire Accident or Loss of Control?

In a potentially embarrassing incident for the Russian military, reports have emerged that a cutting-edge Russian S-70 Okhotnik (Hunter) stealth drone was downed on October 5, 2024, over the Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region.

While initial reports misidentified the aircraft as a Su-25 jet, analysis of the wreckage confirmed it to be the advanced unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV).

The incident, first reported on Telegram channels, has sparked speculation about the cause, with a source within Ukraine’s Defense Forces claiming "friendly fire" from Russian forces. This claim is supported by several Russian military bloggers who identified the wreckage as belonging to the S-70 Okhotnik.

The S-70, designed to operate as a "wingman" drone alongside the Su-57 fighter jet, represents a significant advancement in Russia's drone warfare capabilities. Its loss is a considerable setback for the Russian military, especially given its advanced sensors and combat capabilities.

On the other hand some unconfirmed reports circulating on Russian Telegram channels, the incident occurred during a test flight near the frontline. It is suggested that the drone's operator lost control, leading Russian commanders to order its destruction to prevent capture by Ukrainian forces. Some accounts claim a Su-57 fighter jet was used to carry out the order.

Justin Bronk, Senior Research Fellow for Airpower and Military Technology at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), called the incident an "embarrassing failure" for the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS). He suggests the drone may have been undergoing tests of its sensors or command-and-control systems (C2) near the front lines.

This incident highlights the ongoing challenges with coordination and communication within Russian forces, issues that have plagued their operations in Ukraine since the conflict's beginning.

The destroyed drone is believed to be an earlier demonstrator model, potentially lacking the advanced stealth features of more recent variants. This raises questions about why it was operating in a heavily defended area with robust air defense systems.

The wreckage of the S-70 presents a valuable opportunity for Ukrainian forces to analyze the technology. Experts believe they will attempt to recover as much of the drone as possible for foreign material exploitation (FME) before Russian forces can destroy it.

Despite the widespread reports and speculation, the Russian military has yet to issue an official statement explaining the circumstances surrounding the loss of this critical asset.

The S-70 Okhotnik, developed by Sukhoi and Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG, is a key component of Russia's sixth-generation aircraft project. Incorporating technologies from the Su-57 fighter jet, it is designed for both independent operation and as a "wingman" for manned aircraft.

This incident, if confirmed as a friendly fire incident, marks the first confirmed loss of an S-70 Okhotnik and could potentially delay the deployment timeline for this next-generation UCAV.

 

[sanket]

Oh But so called superior western Air Defence ( Employed From Entire NATO ) cant detect neither Su-57 or S-70 Okotnik in Ukraine controlled Territory

 

[Krishna]

Mostly targeted to avoid falling in hands of Ukraine.

 

[Kira]

Mostly targeted to avoid falling in hands of Ukraine.

Likely, as the drone may have lost contact with its remote pilot or the Su-57 controlling it,then subsequently flew over Ukrainian territory,so Russians may have chosen to shoot it down in haste.

 

[Hey]

Oh But so called superior western Air Defence ( Employed From Entire NATO ) cant detect neither Su-57 or S-70 Okotnik in Ukraine controlled Territory

It was down near the border , but if you shoot anything in the air it goes miles away before the impact on the ground.. The case we saw with our Mirages case

 

[sanket]

It was down near the border , but if you shoot anything in the air it goes miles away before the impact on the ground.. The case we saw with our Mirages case

First Both Su-57 & S-70 were Flying in Ukraine even then Air Defence system failed to detect if they have detected they have destroyed Su-57 & s-70 in the Air its war on & not Fighter patroling in the kyies of Ukraine , Ukraine have crossed Russian border & have caputred some part of kurks , so in there own territory Ukraine is unable to detect & destroy Both Su-57 & S-70 in sky that tells the story of western Air defence system which is highly over hyped. In Futurte NATO may ask Ukraine to surrender to Russia all western weapons are performed impactless. what is detection range of Air Defence system may b 400 kM r more than that.

 

[Praveen]

First Both Su-57 & S-70 were Flying in Ukraine even then Air Defence system failed to detect if they have detected they have destroyed Su-57 & s-70 in the Air its war on & not Fighter patroling in the kyies of Ukraine , Ukraine have crossed Russian border & have caputred some part of kurks , so in there own territory Ukraine is unable to detect & destroy Both Su-57 & S-70 in sky that tells the story of western Air defence system which is highly over hyped. In Futurte NATO may ask Ukraine to surrender to Russia all western weapons are performed impactless. what is detection range of Air Defence system may b 400 kM r more than that.

If western air defences can't detect both of these jets then we should at least buy Su-57 for same amount as Su-30mki , we can just replace all the old mig-27 and jaguar with this. If possible also do ToT and full local production as fast as possible. Need more than 280 jets. This is heavy fighter, AMCA is medium weight fighter, so both can be complement each.
If cost is issue then scrap the MRFA deal and integrate all the domestic weapons into su-57 just like how we did in Su-30mki.

Porkis are now gearing for J-31 if we don't have a decent fighter to counter it we will definitely suffer for sure. We always joke about CCP J-31 as 4.5+ gen fighter, but no matter what we should not underestimate anything.

 

[Mayank Shukla]

"Shoot it down before they get our secrets"
Drone technology is the thing.. everyone wants it even more than enemies fighter jets.

 

[Anant]

First Both Su-57 & S-70 were Flying in Ukraine even then Air Defence system failed to detect if they have detected they have destroyed Su-57 & s-70 in the Air its war on & not Fighter patroling in the kyies of Ukraine , Ukraine have crossed Russian border & have caputred some part of kurks , so in there own territory Ukraine is unable to detect & destroy Both Su-57 & S-70 in sky that tells the story of western Air defence system which is highly over hyped. In Futurte NATO may ask Ukraine to surrender to Russia all western weapons are performed impactless. what is detection range of Air Defence system may b 400 kM r more than that.

Um, not quite. The place where the drones wing crashed after it was shot down was 10 miles behind the frontlines in Ukraine's controlled territory. Reports indicate the missile used for the shoot-down had a fairly long range, which may well mean the Su-57 was quite far in friendly airspace.

Moreover, Donetsk and Luhansk had significant separatist forces, and so even before the invasion, the control of Ukraine's military in those regions was relatively light.

Oh, and Donetsk is nowhere near Kursk, so that point of yours is wrong.

Finally, Ukraine and the West is going to study both the drones wreckage and the lapse in finding it before it was shot down. Somewhat unlike the Russians, they will learn.

 

[Anant]

If western air defences can't detect both of these jets then we should at least buy Su-57 for same amount as Su-30mki , we can just replace all the old mig-27 and jaguar with this. If possible also do ToT and full local production as fast as possible. Need more than 280 jets. This is heavy fighter, AMCA is medium weight fighter, so both can be complement each.
If cost is issue then scrap the MRFA deal and integrate all the domestic weapons into su-57 just like how we did in Su-30mki.

Porkis are now gearing for J-31 if we don't have a decent fighter to counter it we will definitely suffer for sure. We always joke about CCP J-31 as 4.5+ gen fighter, but no matter what we should not underestimate anything.

And you came to this conclusion based on a single comment? Right, here goes:

1. The drones wreckage landed 10 miles behind the frontine in Ukrainian-controlled territory. That means the drone was shot near the frontline, if not outright while over Russian-controlled territory.

2. Reports indicate the missile used had a fairly decent range. That can well mean the Su-57 was very comfortably in Russian airspace. Detecting it in that situation would have been difficult.

3. The Su-57 is not a practical option. Even Russia is having a lot of issues manufacturing those, and has instead pivoted towards increased Su-35 production.

4. Where did you get cost estimates for the Su-57? They haven't been made public, as far as I know. Gauging by how much the Russians are robbing us for the AL-31 engines (over 13 million USD each, which is around thrice the cost of a F414), we would be robbed blind.

5. Full local production isn't happening. In fact, full local production has never happened with Russian equipment.

6. Reference to point 4, if you think MRFA is too expensive, what you suggest would be just as, if not more expensive.

 

[Anant]

"Shoot it down before they get our secrets"
Drone technology is the thing.. everyone wants it even more than enemies fighter jets.

The thing is that even the drones wreckage can teach Ukraine a lot of things. Let's see how much can be salvaged.

 

[Glory X]

Turns out Russian fighters are more capable than the US wants us to think? Going deep in enemy's territory without being noticed is concerning and seems this is not the first time.
Also, where is that intercepting we used to read about, before? 10 out of 10, 12 out of 12 kinzhals. As first we see that Russia never uses so many kinzhals. That was obviously a lie to serve in propaganda purposes. The Patriot system can't even protect itself. Israeli air defense systems failed hard. Those are American systems too.

 

[Praveen]

And you came to this conclusion based on a single comment? Right, here goes:

1. The drones wreckage landed 10 miles behind the frontine in Ukrainian-controlled territory. That means the drone was shot near the frontline, if not outright while over Russian-controlled territory.

2. Reports indicate the missile used had a fairly decent range. That can well mean the Su-57 was very comfortably in Russian airspace. Detecting it in that situation would have been difficult.

3. The Su-57 is not a practical option. Even Russia is having a lot of issues manufacturing those, and has instead pivoted towards increased Su-35 production.

4. Where did you get cost estimates for the Su-57? They haven't been made public, as far as I know. Gauging by how much the Russians are robbing us for the AL-31 engines (over 13 million USD each, which is around thrice the cost of a F414), we would be robbed blind.

5. Full local production isn't happening. In fact, full local production has never happened with Russian equipment.

6. Reference to point 4, if you think MRFA is too expensive, what you suggest would be just as, if not more expensive.

US is not going to give F-35 and IAF won't buy it either. Other than them there is only CCP and Ruskis are manufacturing these types of jets. AMCA is not going to fly before 2035-2040 anyway. So what are we going to fight them against. There is something that we all need to understand in the first place, that is no matter how much we speak ill about Su-57 it is still a 5th gen jet even if it is not good in some aspects such as radar. It still uses internal weapons bay. And our Su-30mki will be bright as day in the enemy radar, and Rafale is never a real match for stealth jet even if the bare aircraft has very low RCS value. France can be pretty comfortable because there is plenty of SATO countries surrounding it with F-35, but we have enemies on both sides and conflict can happen anytime. We should be prepared not like now doing this MMRCA circus show first, then MRFA circus now.

 

[Glory X]

And you came to this conclusion based on a single comment? Right, here goes:

1. The drones wreckage landed 10 miles behind the frontine in Ukrainian-controlled territory. That means the drone was shot near the frontline, if not outright while over Russian-controlled territory.

2. Reports indicate the missile used had a fairly decent range. That can well mean the Su-57 was very comfortably in Russian airspace. Detecting it in that situation would have been difficult.

3. The Su-57 is not a practical option. Even Russia is having a lot of issues manufacturing those, and has instead pivoted towards increased Su-35 production.

4. Where did you get cost estimates for the Su-57? They haven't been made public, as far as I know. Gauging by how much the Russians are robbing us for the AL-31 engines (over 13 million USD each, which is around thrice the cost of a F414), we would be robbed blind.

5. Full local production isn't happening. In fact, full local production has never happened with Russian equipment.

6. Reference to point 4, if you think MRFA is too expensive, what you suggest would be just as, if not more expensive.

Why are you trying so hard? A fifth-generation Russian fighter and a heavy drone were deep inside Ukraine and were not detected by Western air defense systems. If you notice in the videos, the drone immediately started to fall vertically, it didn't slide at all, end of story.
And that's not surprising after seeing what happened to Israel. Those systems are also American-made and failed to intercept Iranian missiles. To remind you, we called Iranian rockets primitive.

 

[Anant]

US is not going to give F-35 and IAF won't buy it either. Other than them there is only CCP and Ruskis are manufacturing these types of jets. AMCA is not going to fly before 2035-2040 anyway. So what are we going to fight them against. There is something that we all need to understand in the first place, that is no matter how much we speak ill about Su-57 it is still a 5th gen jet even if it is not good in some aspects such as radar. It still uses internal weapons bay. And our Su-30mki will be bright as day in the enemy radar, and Rafale is never a real match for stealth jet even if the bare aircraft has very low RCS value. France can be pretty comfortable because there is plenty of SATO countries surrounding it with F-35, but we have enemies on both sides and conflict can happen anytime. We should be prepared not like now doing this MMRCA circus show first, then MRFA circus now.

And where exactly did I see we should run after F-35s? Please don't put words in my mouth. Just because I said the Su-57 is not a very feasible option does not mean I am campaigning for the F-35. In fact, I always say to people who advocate for F-35 acquisition that the international arms market is not like a supermarket where one can go and pick anything you want.

Regardless, moving on. Any nation with a large-ish air force is keeping both 4.5th and 5th generation jets in its inventory. As it stands, technology proliferation mandates that if we go for fifth generation jets, we wouldn't have too many contenders. More importantly, we would have to get the jet on the OEM's terms. That means limited ToT, and massive resistance to integrating Indian arms, besides high costs. That issue exists for 4.5th generation jets too, but to a far lower extent.

Finally, we have a lot of 3rd, and 4th generation jets that need replacing, and need replacing fast. Without MRFA, we will not reach 42 fighter squadrons until the early 2050s at the earliest, and we'll be replacing the Su-30MKI at that point, which further means a sustained 42 squadron number won't happen until well into the 2060s. That's over four decades from today.

 

[Anant]

Why are you trying so hard? A fifth-generation Russian fighter and a heavy drone were deep inside Ukraine and were not detected by Western air defense systems. If you notice in the videos, the drone immediately started to fall vertically, it didn't slide at all, end of story.
And that's not surprising after seeing what happened to Israel. Those systems are also American-made and failed to intercept Iranian missiles. To remind you, we called Iranian rockets primitive.

I am not trying anything. I am simply giving facts and context. If you bother reading other comments by me, I have mentioned that there is going to be a lot of thinking in the West on just why the drone wasn't detected.

Next, the photographs released are mostly of the drone's wing, not the drone itself. Also, even if one assumes the drone fell vertically, what are you trying to say by that?

Finally, most Iranian missiles (which aren't primitive, mind you) were intercepted by Israeli defences. If you think any air defence system will give you a 100% interception rate on a saturation strike, then you are very badly mistaken. Some missiles will make it through in a saturation strike. Finally, and building on what I said earlier in this paragraph, Iranian missiles aren't primitive. They are not at the cutting edge of technology, but they are perfectly decent for what they do.

 

[Praveen]

And where exactly did I see we should run after F-35s? Please don't put words in my mouth. Just because I said the Su-57 is not a very feasible option does not mean I am campaigning for the F-35. In fact, I always say to people who advocate for F-35 acquisition that the international arms market is not like a supermarket where one can go and pick anything you want.

Bro did you ever get what I said in the first place. I only said IAF will never get F-35, when did it become you advocated for that junk. Do you have any problem in understanding english.
or when I said IAF it means you. When did you represent the whole of IAF(Airforce)

 

[Anant]

Bro did you ever get what I said in the first place. I only said IAF will never get F-35, when did it become you advocated for that junk. Do you have any problem in understanding english.
or when I said IAF it means you. When did you represent the whole of IAF(Airforce)

I did not mention the F-35 in my original reply to you. You did so in your reply. Also, as it so happens, I agree with you in that India will not get the F-35.

 

[Mayank Shukla]

The thing is that even the drones wreckage can teach Ukraine a lot of things. Let's see how much can be salvaged.

Yes it's all about the electronics that everyone is after at

 

[Dipesh Debnath]

The thing is that even the drones wreckage can teach Ukraine a lot of things. Let's see how much can be salvaged.

Yes, u can study the radar absorbent material, the surface contour and radar absorbent texture and paints to fine tune ur own radar system and sigint system. Russians invented stealth tech anyway .