JET DIPLOMACY RUSSIA'S OFFER, INDIA'S TEST DIPLOMACY

With China advancing rapidly in stealth fighter tech and Pakistan close behind, India faces a pressing airpower gap. Russia's Su-57E offer presents a rare chance to catch up fast—but will India seize it or stall in pursuit of self-reliance?

- Geopolitics Bureau

Russia has been aggressively pushing the export of its advanced _fifth-generation Su-57E stealth aircraft to India. The offer has elicited a variety of comments from the Indian defence community, only some of which are optimistic. There is concern that acquiring a new stealth aircraft at this stage might jeopardise India's own fifthgeneration fighter development.

Alexander Mikheev, Director General of Russia's national armaments exporter Rosoboronexport, made an incredible offer to India ahead of Aero India 2025. The offer includes "the allround development of cooperation on the Su-57E project. Among our proposals is the supply of ready-made aircraft, the organisation of their joint production in India, as well as assistance in the development of an Indian fifthgeneration fighter."

The Russians have certainly presented a golden deal to India, which had previously joined and then withdrew from the Russian Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) program in 2018 owing to concerns about technology sharing and production, high costs, aircraft performance, and multiple technical challenges.

India has managed to remain nonchalant to the Russian offer thus far. However, it is currently staring at a massive capability gap vis-à-vis China and Pakistan, which has prompted certain sections of the Indian Air Force veterans and military observers to rally behind a potential purchase.