Russian President Vladimir Putin has renewed the Su-57 pitch to India, citing the former FGFA collaboration between the two allies and calling it the best fifth-generation aircraft in the world.
Speaking to global media on the sidelines of the St Petersburg Economic Forum, Putin reaffirmed Russia’s readiness to cooperate with India on the fifth-generation Su-57—including the export and joint production of the aircraft.
“It’s fifth-generation technology — I think it’s the best in the world as of now,” the Russian President proudly declared at the Forum.
There are four other operational fifth-generation fighters at the moment: the F-22 and F-35 of the United States, and the J-20 and J-35A of the People’s Republic of China.
Russia offered the Su-57E to India at the Aero India Show in February 2025. This was followed by a “golden deal” that included the supply of off-the-shelf aircraft, the production of the Su-57 in India, and assistance in developing India’s fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
In the face of India’s reticence, the Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport expanded it to include the use of existing Su-30MKI infrastructure to facilitate local manufacturing of the Su-57E in India, as previously reported by the EurAsian Times.
However, the offer was modified again in November 2025 to include full licensed production, technology transfer, and a “two-seat variant,” which has now entered testing. Not just that, some recent reports in Indian media have claimed that a revised proposal allegedly includes transferring the Su-57 source code to India if it decides to jointly produce the jet in the country. EurAsian Times cannot confirm the authenticity of the media reports.
Building on this pitch, President Putin recalled that Moscow and New Delhi had earlier joined hands to develop a fifth-generation fighter.
“As far as the Su-57 goes, at one point we proposed to our Indian friends to work together on this technology. “But back then, our Indian friends said: ‘Go ahead on your own, and then we will see – maybe we’ll join’…The aircraft could have been our joint project. We built it independently, but we are ready to work with India in this field – to supply this aircraft and to keep developing it,” the Russian President told the reporters. “We don’t have any issues with it or any limitations. The same goes for air defense systems,” he added.
Putin also called India a “great country” and defended New Delhi’s autonomous foreign policy, taking a dig at US attempts to pressure India over its cooperation with Russia, adding that such actions are “detrimental” to bilateral and global relations.
It must be noted that the United States slapped unprecedented tariffs on India last year for buying Russian oil, imposing a cost on New Delhi’s age-old ties with Moscow and its independent foreign policy. These tariffs were slightly relaxed earlier this year amid hopes of a trade deal, which the two sides have yet to sign over sustained disagreements.
Interestingly, Putin’s renewed offer for the Su-57 coincided with US President Trump calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi his ‘good friend’ after a long time, expressing confidence that the two sides will reach an agreement soon. “We will get to a deal because I like your prime minister a lot. I like your prime minister a lot. He is a good friend of mine, and we get along well. We have a good relationship,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Analysts fear that if India decides in favor of the Russian Su-57, it would likely upset ties with Washington once again and may even attract sanctions.
Earlier this year, for instance, Robert Palladino, the US State Department’s Middle East affairs officer, stated at a meeting of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the arms deals with Russia are “very concerning” and could lead to US sanctions against Algeria under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
Why India Walked Out Of FGFA?
Russian firm Sukhoi proposed the PAK FA (Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation), which was later christened as the Su-57. Sukhoi’s design focused on stealth, supercruise capability, advanced avionics, and multirole functionality, and the Su-57 was intended to be a versatile aircraft capable of air superiority and ground attack missions—which was exact what India desired out of its next-generation aircraft.
India and Russia signed a deal for the Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) in 2007.
However, cracks soon began to appear in this partnership, as the Indian Air Force (IAF) found that the new venture failed to meet its operational requirements.
The Su-57’s low-observability, or stealth, characteristics were described as a major concern in media reports at the time. It didn’t match the standards of true 5th-generation fighters like the US F-22 or F-35, with limitations in radar signature, engine exposure, and overall design that raised doubts about the aircraft’s overall survivability.
Russia had also failed to deliver a mature next-generation engine for supercruise, whereas New Delhi was deeply dissatisfied with the interim AL-41F1 engines.
More importantly, though, India sought deep access to source code and design data, and the ability to upgrade and maintain the aircraft independently, but Russia was reluctant to share sensitive technology, leading to major disagreements over workshare and co-development of the fifth-generation fighter.
The program was also proving very expensive, with Russia demanding large upfront payments without strong guarantees of performance or timelines. Frustrated by the above issues, India withdrew from the project in 2018, urging Russia to proceed alone, as Putin recently mentioned in his comments at the Economic Forum.
It is worth recalling that India never closed the lid on the program, and instead left the door open to procure the aircraft at a later stage. In July 2018, then-Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told Business Standard, “In February, it was conveyed to the Russians that they could go ahead with developing the fighter without us. But the option remains, and we could well go back at a later stage and ask to buy the fighter.”
A year later, the former Indian Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa, told the official newspaper of the Russian Armed Forces in 2019 that India would decide on the Su-57 after its operational deployment in combat, and after the jet is showcased in India.
As it turns out, both these conditions have now been met.
Moreover, Russia has significantly upgraded the aircraft and resolved several long-standing issues that India had previously flagged. A key development was the maturation of the Izdeliye 30 (AL-51F-1) engine family, which offers improved performance, reliability, and thrust.
Additionally, it enhanced the aircraft’s stealth by incorporating radar-absorbent materials (RAM), improving panel alignment, using rivets rather than screws, and modifying the engine nozzle to a serrated or flat design to reduce the rear radar cross-section and infrared signature.
Russia is now testing the dual-seat Su-57D variant, which was India’s preferred choice for the FGFA.
While China has two operational fifth-generation fighters, the J-20 and the J-35, India wouldn’t have one until the mid-2030s when the AMCA is expected to enter service. In fact, Pakistan is poised to buy about 40 Chinese J-35As, further widening the capability gap amid a precarious security situation in the South Asian subcontinent.
Meanwhile, China has been testing two different sixth-generation prototypes: the J-36, produced by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC), and the J-50, produced by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC). Both prototypes are regularly spotted in flight, suggesting that development is progressing at a breakneck pace.
This means that in the next decade, Beijing would not only beat New Delhi by numbers but also by a whole generation of combat aircraft.
Meanwhile, India’s options have been shrinking. Earlier this year, it decided to join one of the two European sixth-generation fighter programs—the UK-Italy-Japan GCAP or the France-Germany-Spain FCAS—to ensure it does not fall behind in advancing next-generation, cutting-edge technologies. However, both programs are reeling with internal discontent and chaos, putting them years behind schedule.
Therefore, experts in the Indian defense community, as well as veterans, believe India could opt for the Su-57 as a bridging solution until the AMCA arrives. Notably, the IAF chief, Air Marshal A.P. Singh, last year indicated that the service may opt for an off-the-shelf purchase of a fifth-generation aircraft.
Some experts who spoke to the EurAsian Times have endorsed the idea of a purchase rather than committing to local production and further development of the jet, which would require a long-term commitment and substantial resources.
- Contact the author at sakshi.tiwari13 (at) outlook.com
- Follow EurAsian Times on Google News
