India Rules Out Purchase of Russian Su-57 Fighters

India’s Defense Minister announced that the country does not plan to purchase Russian Su-57E fighter jets and will instead focus on upgrading its existing fleet of Su-30MKI aircraft.

Defence Security Asia reported on this.

The Su-57E is the export version of Russia’s Su-57 multirole fighter, developed by Sukhoi and manufactured at an aircraft plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

Indian Defense Minister Rajesh Kumar Singh described India’s license-built Su-30MKI fighter jets as a reliable foundation of the country’s air force. He characterized the Su-57 as an unproven aircraft.

New Delhi plans to upgrade some of its fleet of about 260 fourth-generation Su-30MKI fighters to the 4.5+ generation, turning them into combat platforms equipped with Indian radars and long-range precision weapons.

India plans to equip its fighters with BrahMos missiles, which can strike targets at ranges of 450-500 kilometers.

Weighing about 3 tons, they can carry a warhead of up to 300 kilograms. A ramjet engine enables the missile to maintain supersonic speed throughout its flight, making it difficult to intercept.

At the same time, India continues to cooperate with Russia on aircraft engines, maintenance and modernization, avoiding steps that could jeopardize spare-parts supplies for its combat aircraft fleet, most of which is Russian-built. The policy is therefore viewed not as an anti-Russian course but as an expression of New Delhi’s pursuit of strategic autonomy.