Russia Offers to Make Stealth Fighter Jet for India
Russia has offered to make its latest Su-57 stealth fighter jet for the Indian Air Force. This comes as Russia and India are getting closer, Reuters reported on February 11.
According to Russian officials, the jets would be made in India. Informal talks have been going on between Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport and Indian government officials about making the planes with state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics.
Rosoboronexport confirmed that production of the aircraft could start as early as this year if India agrees to a deal.
Russia has been India’s biggest supplier of weapons for years. However, since Russia invaded Ukraine, India has started looking for supplies from Western countries too.
The Su-57 is considered Russia’s most modern fighter jet. But it has had problems and even crashed during a test flight in 2019. Some experts call it the “worst” stealth fighter in the world.
In June 2024, Russian Su-57s were damaged by a Ukrainian strike on an airfield in southern Russia.
India previously decided not to co-develop and produce the aircraft with Russia. However, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to boost defense spending and production because of tensions with Pakistan and China.
Despite India calling for a diplomatic solution to Russia’s war against Ukraine, India continues to strengthen economic ties with Moscow. In July, Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, where they agreed to cooperate on things like nuclear energy and medicine.
India and Russia also want to increase their bilateral trade by over 50% and reach $100 billion annually by 2030.