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India Turns Down Russian Su-57 as It Builds “Better” AMCA Stealth Jet at Home
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India is prioritizing the development of its domestic stealth fighter aircraft, AMCA, over potential cooperation with Russia on the Su-57, despite Moscow’s continued offers of technology transfer and local production.
According to Defense Express on November 19, Russia has offered India a package deal involving the Su-57E fighter jet, which includes technology transfer and domestic assembly through Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The proposal is being presented as a strategic interim solution while India continues development of its fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
Moscow has also suggested that the technologies from the Su-57 could be beneficial to India’s indigenous AMCA program. The Indian Defence Research Wing (IDRW), however, questioned the feasibility and necessity of such cooperation.
In a post on its X account, IDRW commented that Russia is attempting to position the Su-57 deal as a stepping stone toward India’s future fighter development, particularly AMCA MkII.
According to IDRW, India’s AMCA is expected to feature superior avionics and weapons systems compared to the Russian platform, though it may fall short in payload capacity.
The publication emphasized that the Su-57 is unlikely to contribute meaningfully to the AMCA’s development, suggesting that Russia’s proposal is no longer considered viable.
As part of its offer, Russia has included the “Izdelie 177S” engine, a fifth-generation powerplant associated with newer Su-57 variants. The move appears to target a long-standing weakness in India’s defense industry—jet engine development.
India’s GTRE GTX-35VS Kaveri engine has been under development for over four decades and is still not ready for operational use. According to Defense Express, recent estimates indicate that the Kaveri program may require an additional 10 to 12 years to reach maturity.
India withdrew from the joint Russian-Indian Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) program in 2018, which was initially intended to co-develop a variant of the Su-57. Since then, Russia has repeatedly attempted to re-engage India with new offers.
Defense Express notes that in September, Moscow and New Delhi signed several aviation-related contracts. Russian defense entities are reportedly calculating the cost of establishing a full-scale Su-57 production line in India.
However, the final decision remains with India’s defense leadership, which is assessing both immediate requirements and long-term priorities. The AMCA MkII is expected to fly in the 2030s, with further ambitions aimed at developing a sixth-generation fighter platform in the future.
Earlier, at the Dubai Air Show 2025, Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov admitted that Russia’s arms exports have fallen by 50% since 2022, citing sanctions and the need to prioritize domestic military supply, according to Reuters.
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