Major General Emphasizes 30/60/10 Rule for India's Potential Acquisition of Su-57 Fighter Jets

Major General S B Asthana recently addressed India's potential acquisition of Russia's Su-57 stealth fighter, emphasizing the critical need for the Indian Armed Forces to maintain a balance of cutting-edge, current, and older military equipment.

He highlighted the "30/60/10 rule," which suggests an ideal composition of 30% state-of-the-art systems, 60% current-generation equipment, and only 10% obsolete inventory. This balanced approach, he argued, ensures operational readiness while allowing for continuous technological upgrades.

India is actively pursuing indigenous defence manufacturing under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) initiative. However, acquiring certain advanced technologies remains a challenge. The Su-57, with its stealth capabilities, advanced avionics, and fifth-generation features, represents an opportunity to bolster India's combat edge in the short term.

While India has made significant progress in domestic defence production, exemplified by the Tejas fighter and the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program, some areas still require external collaboration or procurement.

Maj Gen Asthana acknowledged this reality, stating that "there are certain systems where we have not yet developed the technology to the desired level. In such cases, acquiring proven platforms becomes essential to maintain operational readiness."

The Su-57, designed to compete with advanced fighters like the American F-35 and Chinese J-20, offers India a chance to enhance its air dominance capabilities. Its stealth features, supersonic cruise ability, and integrated avionics could provide a significant advantage in contested airspaces.

Unlike developmental projects that can take years to mature, procuring operationally ready equipment like the Su-57 allows for immediate integration into the force structure. Maj Gen Asthana emphasized this advantage, stating that "acquiring such equipment ensures its readiness for deployment the moment it is inducted."

However, he also cautioned that the decision to acquire the Su-57 must be carefully considered in light of India's strategic requirements, budgetary constraints, and the broader goal of achieving self-reliance in defence manufacturing. This balanced perspective highlights the complexities involved in modernizing India's armed forces and the need for a strategic approach that balances immediate needs with long-term goals.

 

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[Sandeep]

Wait a min. 10% obsolete inventory? Did I read that right? OBSOLETE? Why would any country want to have obsolete weapons in its armory? Is this for real?

They keep them as a back up mostly and as a reserve in case of war. Every country has different ratios like with France they still have some mirage jets as a backup.

 

[Raja Raja Cholan]

Mej Gen is absolutely correct. But what it needs more to it is an effective foresight planning, proactive during uncertainties and quick turnaround measures in order to mitigate projected timeline and minimise planned schedules.

 

[Sentoki]

The Su-57 has just gotten nearly fully baked 10 years after flying, the Su-75 hasn't just not flown yet but they're still looking for a partner to fund it. It'll only be ready well into AMCA timeline. The Su57 is the only fifth gen stopgap available to us to bridge that, unless the F35 was unlikely cleared.

The SU-75 will be ready faster than you think, simply because all the LRUs & Subsystems are direct carryover from the SU-57s, be it the radars, avionics, AL-51 engine, IRST system, weapon bay, etc.

The design has already been refined as we saw last year from wind tunnel & CFD tests.

Only thing pending would be building the airframe. Here too the lessons learnt from the building of SU-57 frames will be put to use.

Overall, it will come along faster than SU-57 as long as funds are allocated to prototype development as the heavy lifting is already done with the SU-57.

There are reports in eastern European media that it will be ready for unveiling in Q1 2025. Let's wait and see....