New Russian drones touted as radar-evading, launched from advanced fighter jets

Russia is preparing to showcase two new unmanned platforms designed for launch from fifth-generation fighter aircraft, but it remains unclear what visitors at the El Alamein 2026 air show will actually see.

Rosoboronexport is due to present the Su-57E, armed with a range of guided air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, at the military exhibition in the Egyptian city of El Alamein. The lineup includes the short-range RVV-MD2, the long-range RVV-BD, the Kh-38MLE air-to-ground missile, the Kh-69 low-observable precision cruise missile and the Kh-58UShKE anti-radiation missile.

The exhibition is also expected to feature the S-71M and S-71K, described as low-observable unmanned platforms launched from fifth-generation combat aircraft. Rostec, the Russian state technology company, announced the planned presentation. Its statement did not make clear whether the drones would merely be displayed or whether their use from an upgraded Su-57 would be demonstrated.

The potential debut has attracted attention because fighter-launched drones could extend reconnaissance and strike ranges while distributing risk between crewed aircraft and associated unmanned systems. Analyses based on the limited information available generally associate the S-71K, known as Kover, with longer-range strike missions. The S-71M, known as Monokhrom, is linked to longer-range search functions.

That division suggests a mission structure in which one platform searches for or refines targeting information while another moves forward to attack. Low-observable air-launched drones could also complicate detection and engagement by creating multiple signatures and axes of attack. Their practical value would depend on communications resilience, sensor quality, mission autonomy, payload, range and integration with the fighter’s avionics. None of those features has been disclosed sufficiently for an independent operational assessment.

Rosoboronexport expects to present the systems during the exhibition. It remains unconfirmed whether they will appear as operational equipment, representative models or documentation only.