Russia has once again offered to give India the export version Su-57E of its fifth generation stealth fighter jet Su-57. The special thing is that this time russia has promised to give Transfer of technology (ToT) and even the source code, which can prove to be a strategic and technical opportunity for India. Russia has also proposed direct supply of Su-35M jets under the indian air Force's MRFA tender, which can meet the needs of 114 multi-role fighter jets of the air Force. This offer from russia can help the indian air Force a lot. China is going to give 5th generation fighter jets to Pakistan by next year, for whose counter attack Russia's Su-57E stealth fighter jet will prove to be an essential weapon.
During Aero india 2025, Russian state-owned defense company Rostec and Sukhoi made an important proposal to india that they can manufacture Su-57E at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)'s Nashik facility. This is the same factory where india has already successfully produced 200+ Su-30MKI. The new proposal also plans to manufacture Su-57E on the same lines, which will give india not only self-reliance but also global recognition in aerospace technology.
Source code, integration of indigenous weapons
Russia has not only promised to provide the aircraft with Su-57E, but is also ready to give access to its source code. This means that india will be able to add indigenous weapons and systems to this aircraft even without Russia's help. This includes Astra BVR missile, Virupaksha AESA radar and Rudram anti-radiation missile. Apart from this, russia has also promised that it will help india in indigenization of up to 40-60% of Su-57E, which will prove to be a big boost for Make in india and Atmanirbhar Bharat campaigns.
Urgent supply of 20-30 aircraft
According to reports, russia is ready to immediately supply 20 to 30 Su-57E fighter jets, so that the immediate requirement of the indian air Force can be met. After this, if the deal is finalized by 2026, then 60-70 fighter aircraft made in india can join the indian air Force by 2030-2032.
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