Synopsis
- These reports indicate that the talks between the Ministry of Defence and the Russian equivalents are no longer at the initial assessment phase, and the baseline proposal is focused on a licensed manufacturing of 140 Su-57 fighters in India at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s facility in Nashik, where HAL produced Su-30MKI jets earlier under license.
Source : IgMp Bulletin
The decades-long effort of India to get a convincing fifth-generation fighter seems to be entering a new phase of decisive action, as latest media reports indicate that New Delhi and Moscow have reached advanced technical discussions about the plan to manufacture the Su-57 stealth fighter in India under license. These reports indicate that the talks between the Ministry of Defence and the Russian equivalents are no longer at the initial assessment phase, and the baseline proposal is focused on a licensed manufacturing of 140 Su-57 fighters in India at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s facility in Nashik, where HAL produced Su-30MKI jets earlier under license.
It is perceived that the proposed arrangement is aimed at deep technology transfer, local production, and gradual indigenisation, which is compatible with the overall Indian push to scale up indigenous aerospace capabilities. The Su-57, designed and manufactured by Sukhoi design bureau, is a frontline fifth-generation fighter, which features a stealthy airframe, supercruise capability, and advanced sensors with internal weapon carrying capacity. For India, the Su-57 will provide a short-term path for deploying a large fleet of stealth fighters when regional rivals are swiftly building up their fifth-generation arsenals.
Although the original figure stands at 140 aircraft, the report indicates that this does not constitute a fixed number. Procurement may incrementally increase, in case the setbacks or performance issues keep a hold on the indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program. At the core of the Indian long-term air power projection is the indigenous AMCA project led by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), although it is an ambitious and complex project that entails new engines, advanced stealth material, and state-of-the-art avionics. Any delay in its development schedule is likely to raise the strategic value of Su-57 induction beyond a stopgap.
It is even being reported that defence planners are considering scenarios in which the AMCA does not enter operational service until the 2040s. The dependence of India on an interim fifth-generation platform in such a scenario would probably increase further and may bring the overall number of Su-57 aircraft to 250 in the longer run (Here we must note one thing, that originally under the Sukhoi/HAL-FGFA program, India was supposed to get 250 aircraft planned in 2017). This would enable the Indian Air Force to continue having a qualitative advantage even as it slowly transitions to an indigenous stealth fighter when the latter matures.
It is also believed that the Su-57 option can provide flexibility regarding weapon integration and mission profiles, and it can be customized with Indian and Western origin systems as well as Russian ones. This, coupled with licensed production, would give India both capability in operations and leverage in industry to ensure that its fighter fleet strength is not impaired at a time when the modernisation of regional militaries is happening at a rapid pace.
