Russia brings Su-57, Ka-52 upgrades and counter-drone systems to El Alamein 2026

Egypt is due to host its El Alamein International Airshow 2026 between the 8th and 10th of September, with over 80 countries advertized as participating and over 50 aircraft on display.

Russia’s Rosoboronexport (part of the state-run Rostec State Corporation) has announced it will be attending and showcasing its Sukhoi Su-57 Felon fighter jet, drones, and some other equipment.

Russia to display Su-57 Felon at El Alamein Airshow

Rosoboronexport said its exhibition will feature “combat-proven aircraft, guided weapons, air defence systems, counter-drone solutions, loitering munitions and unmanned aircraft.” Some of these will be showcased for the first time.

The centrepiece of the static display is the Su-57E export variant of the Felon low-observability fighter. The fighter is to be displayed with a range of guided munitions including the RVV-MD2 short-range air-to-air missile, the RVV-BD long-range air-to-air missile, the Kh-69 cruise missile, and others.

The exhibition will also present Russia’s new S-71M and S-71K drones, designed to fit inside and launch from the Su-57’s internal weapons bay.

It is unclear what the realistic opportunities for Su-57 export sales are. While Algeria is reportedly purchasing 14 examples, the biggest potential export customer was India, which could have ordered around 100.

However, India has seemingly ruled that out. At the same time, the US CAATSA has seen countries like Egypt cancel orders for Russian Su-35S fighters, while former Russian markets (e.g., Uzbekistan) are turning to Chinese fighters like the J-10CE and J-35.

The Yak-130M trainer and Ka-52E attack helicopter

The Russian exhibit will also include the Yak-130M, which is the upgraded AESA-radar-equipped light fighter variant of Russia’s advanced trainer family. It will be displayed with its suite of precision weapons.

Another exhibit at the Egyptian air show will be an upgrade package for the Ka-52E reconnaissance and attack helicopter. This includes the GOES-451M gyro-stabilised electro-optical targeting system and the 305E lightweight multi-purpose guided missile.

Rosoboronexport says the upgrade package has been developed with “lessons learned from operational combat experience.”

The Ka-52 upgrade package is squarely aimed at the Egyptian Air Force, as it is the type’s only export operator with around 48 examples in service.

It is also unclear how able Russia is to export the Ka-52 at this point, as its fleet has been decimated in Ukraine. Around 70 have been visually confirmed destroyed or damaged, including another this week.

Other Russian exhibits at El Alamein

Other Russian exhibits are to include new air defence systems, including the TKB-1167 aerial target engagement system, which is a remotely operated combat module armed with four tank machine guns. It will also show its ZAK-30 Citadel anti-aircraft artillery system.

Other air defence systems will be short-range, like the Pantsir-SMD-E, MANPADS, and the Airspace Control System for aerial target detection. It doesn’t appear that higher-end systems like the S-400 will be present.

The war in Ukraine has seen the development of many Russian one-way attack drones. Some of these will be exhibited, including the Lancet-E (ZALA), Kub-10E, Kub-2E with SKAT 350M reconnaissance UAV, the RUS-PE, and the S350M-E reconnaissance UAV.

While Russia may attract new sales, the war in Ukraine has drastically limited its ability to export, as have Western sanctions and countries (e.g., Vietnam and India) seeking to diversify away from Russia.

SIPRI’s data shows Russia’s share of global arms exports has collapsed by 64% in the period 2021-2025 compared with 2016-2020 (from 21% to 6.8%).