The second contract to manufacture 13 Su-57 fighter jets for the Russian Aerospace Forces is delayed by next year.

The second contract to manufacture 13 Su-57 fighter jets for the Russian Aerospace Forces is to be signed next year, according to the latest report.

Initially, it was expected that the contract for the serial Su-57 will be signed in 2018, but later the TASS reported that contract for serial batch of fifth-generation fighter jets to be signed in 2020.

“In 2020, we plan to sign the second contract to manufacture and deliver 13 Su-57 fighter jets, some of them equipped with the second-stage engines,” a source in Russia’s aircraft-making industry told TASS.

“The preliminary time-frame for the new contract is five years.”

The aircraft’s manufacturer, the United Aircraft Corporation, refrained from commenting on the report.

Two aircraft are expected to be delivered to the Russian Air Force in 2019 and 2020 respectively. “In line with the contract signed in 2018, one serial Su-57 jet with first-stage engines will be delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces this year, the other aircraft featuring the same type of engine – in 2020,” the source said.