India-Russia aims to co-produce 5th-gen Sukhoi Su-57E; Big leap in defence indigenisation to harness national security

Defence indigenisation and self-reliance is the fundamental principle of India in the path of consolidating the national security architecture. In this direction, New Delhi has inked a series of deals with the global powers. For example, India has carved state-of-the-art industrial facilities to indigenously develop S-400 missile system, BrahMos missiles with critical technology transfer from Russia. An exclusive defence industrial corridor has been erected in Lucknow to manufacture the BrahMos missiles. India is also aiming to locally produce the Rafale fighter jets under the “Make In India” initiative, where 80 per cent of the production will be locally harnessed.

In this ambitious path of defence indigenisation, India has gained yet another giant leap. New Delhi and Moscow are holding advanced phases of technical discussions to co-produce the 5th-generation Sukhoi Su-57E fighter jets which are characterized with globally renowned cutting-edge technological features that act as a big boost to defend the national security apparatus against any enemy threats. A top official from the Russian Aerospace company confirmed the rigorous talks held between New Delhi and Moscow to seal the deal regarding the co-production of Su-57E fighter jets.

“Today, we are in the advanced stage of technical negotiations on this contract. Such contracts, given our experience, determine the trajectory of our cooperation for several decades to come”, CEO of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Vadim Badekha told Russian reporters on the sidelines of the Wings India air show held at the Begumpet airport in Hyderabad, India. He further confirmed that in the process of joint manufacturing  of the aircraft discussions are being held to give greater importance to Indian industries and Indian systems. Prior to Vadim Badekha, the CEO of the state-arms exporter Rosoboronexport Alexander Mikheev, reiterated that Moscow is offering Su-57E fighter jets to India along with facilitating the production of the aircraft in India.

State-of-the-art attributes of Sukhoi Su-57E

• Designed and developed by Russia’s Sukhoi Design Bureau
• Fifth generation stealth fighter aircraft. Its advanced features covers it from being detected by enemy radars, infrared and other sensors thus helps to penetrate into highly complex enemy fort without being caught
• Sustained supersonic flight capable of extreme aerial manoeuvres. For example, it has 120 degree attack angle, popularly called as “cobra” manoeuvre
• Able to carry missiles and bombs for both close combat and long-range encounters
• Has the ability of multi-target tracking and AI-assisted combat support. AI integration is seemed as the biggest advantage of su-57E due to the emerging nature of modern warfare
• Enabled with twin-engine mechanism, thus suitable for both air superiority and ground strike roles
  Has the ability to carry 7,400 kgs of payloads with 1,900 kms of combat range

India thus has a huge potential to emerge as the hub of defence manufacturing by co-producing the cutting-edge Sukhoi Su-57E fighter jets with Russia along with strengthening the national security paradigm during unforeseen circumstances. Critical technology transfer from Russia will place India as a credible defence producer and exporter across the geopolitical chessboard. Currently, Russia is the only country who possesses Su-57E with stellar operational abilities. Moscow’s decision to transfer the technology to India thus reflects the time-tested partnership shared between both the countries and also the trust on India as a credible defence partner.