What is the present state of the Russian aviation industry?

Since the USSR ceased to exist, we often hear of the poor state of the Russian economy. It appears that the message hasn’t gotten through to their military aviation industry, as some of the more recent Russian aircraft seem to be on par with the latest American designs.

So, what is the present state of the Russian military aviation industry? Are they still developing new designs and are the best Russian aircraft the equal of or superior to the Americans. I’m only concerned with the aircraft, not armaments. I find designations and descriptions of missiles pretty boring.

On another post, A330Crazy posted a number of photos, including a forward swept wing design. What is it?

Over to our modern aviation experts, please…

Regards

Wombat