Su-57 for India: Can Russia’s stealth fighter counter Pakistan’s China-backed J-35 plan?
India is considering the acquisition of Russia's Su-57 stealth fighter to address a capability gap against China's J-20 and J-35 programs. The decision involves balancing immediate defense needs with long-term indigenous aircraft development goals.
Why it matters
The potential purchase represents a major strategic shift in India's military aviation capabilities and its defense relationship with Russia.
NEW DELHI: The Su-57 has emerged as one of the key defence proposals in focus during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India for the Brics summit, reopening a long-running question for New Delhi: should it acquire an off-the-shelf fifth-generation fighter from Russia while developing its own Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), or wait for the indigenous programme to mature?Russia has repeatedly offered India the Su-57, its fifth-generation multirole fighter, including a proposal for joint production and deeper technology cooperation. Ahead of the Brics summit, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the issue of supplying Su-57 fighters remained on the agenda between Moscow and New Delhi.The Kremlin’s position was stated on September 8, when Peskov said: "ISSUES OF SELLING SU-57 IS ON THE AGENDA BETWEEN INDIA AND RUSSIA"The issue assumed greater significance as Putin arrived in New Delhi for the Brics summit and held talks with PM Modi.
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