At a time when the Chinese Airforce already operates two 5th gen fighters (J20 and J35), and the Pakistani Air Force is very close to acquiring one from China (J35), the Indian Airforce lacks even a definite plan to acquire these generation of fighter aircrafts.
In front of the Indian Air Force, there lies two options, either try developing India’s own 5th gen fighter (the AMCA) or acquire one from Russia (Sukhoi 57). However, the AMCA fighter aircraft is only expected to enter service by 2035 (expecting zero delays).
Russia Offers Sukhoi 57 With Lucrative Deals
Make in India
Russian airspace conglomerate Rostec as identified HAL’s Nashik facility (earlier used for Su30MKI production) as the first choice to manufacture Su57 in India.
At its peak, the HAL production line at Nashik had rolled out nearly 12 Sukhoi 30s in a year.
Transfer of Technology
Rostec has also shared plans to a complete transfer of technology for the Sukhoi 57 aircraft with India. It is believed that the transfer will also include source code for the plane, which is critical for weapons integration and making necessary avionics changes in the plane.
The availability of source code also makes it possible for the plane to have Indian components in future upgrades or in future variants. These components could include an Indian Flight Computer, Uttam AESA Radar, and several other electronic warfare packages.
Issues with American 5th Gen Fighters
The F35 is not an ideal choice for the Indian Air Force despite its high performance, unmatched situational awareness and very high reliability.
High Maintenance Cost
F35 come with a high maintenance cost, higher than all other fighter aircrafts on current usage.
US Sanctions
The fear of US Sanctions always remain a threat. Prior to the acquisition of S400, the Americans had already issued sanction threats for India. Further, while US equipment is usually state of the art, the data links, information needed to operate the aircraft come from the US which makes the operator highly reliant on US State Dept and Pentagon.
India’s High Reliance on Russian Weapons
Fighter aircraft always operate as a system of systems. They need to be integrated with the Airborne Warning systems (AWACS), missile defence shields (S400 and Akash Teer in India) and with other fighter aircrafts (via software defined radios and data links).
The Sukhoi aircrafts are already well equipped with most of the equipment being used by Indian Air Force such as S400 and the Sukhoi 30MKI fleet. Further, since we have already integrated Su30MKI with Indian missiles and weapons, doing the same for Su57 would not be a much harder task.
S400
An air defence system acts to deter foreign jets, missiles and UAVs from entering native airspace. The S400 does the same with an excellent 400 km kill range and a tracking range of 600 km.
To make sure it does not kill one’s own figher aircraft, there is a Friend or Foe installed in each aircraft. Further, the radar signatures of native fighters are also fed into the air defence. Since the S400 is the most advanced Russian air defence, the US would not share any radar signatures with India.
The only way the USA would allow India to use the F35 would be if India agrees to ditch the S400 and all the Sukhoi 30 MKIs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better Sukhoi 57 or Rafale?
Both are different aircraft and are suited for different roles. Rafale can act as multirole aircraft while Sukhoi 57 is a stealth fighter suited better for air to air combat.
Can India make fighter jet engines?
India has already developed the Kaveri engine and its latest high thrust version has recently undergone testing in Russia. India also produces the AL31 jet engine used by the Sukhoi 30MKIs.
