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Moscow has presented a renewed proposal to New Delhi, offering to supply the Indian Air Force (IAF) with two squadrons of Su-57 stealth fighter jets.
If an agreement is finalised by the end of 2026, India could receive between 36 and 40 of these fifth-generation aircraft by 2030.
According to the proposed schedule, the first batch of fighters could arrive on Indian soil as early as late 2027 or 2028, with the full order completed before the decade closes.
This offer arrives as the IAF actively searches for ways to maintain its technological edge and fill a critical capability gap.
India's own indigenous fifth-generation fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) being developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), is not expected to enter active service until the mid-2030s.
Consequently, Russia is positioning the Su-57—known by its NATO reporting name 'Felon'—as a highly capable stopgap measure.
This marks a notable shift, considering India previously withdrew from the joint Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) program with Russia in 2018 to focus on its domestic AMCA project.
To support these ambitious delivery timelines, Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) is working to significantly boost its manufacturing capacity.
Defence analysts note that UAC aims to increase its production rate to 16 to 20 Su-57s annually by 2027.
This industrial ramp-up is vital for Moscow to meet its own target of fielding 76 Felons for the Russian Aerospace Forces by 2028, while simultaneously opening up capacity for major export orders like the one pitched to India.
A significant technical talking point involves the aircraft's powerplant.
Current Su-57s are still flying with the older AL-41F1 engines, a transitional system derived from the Su-35, rather than the true fifth-generation Izdeliye 177 (also known as the AL-51F) engine.
While the newer engine underwent flight trials last year in 2025, it has not yet been integrated into mass-produced jets.
To counter this limitation, Russia has offered a post-2030 retrofit program. Under this plan, the IAF would receive the jets with the current engines, but could upgrade them with the more advanced Izdeliye 177 once production stabilises.
Furthermore, the Su-57 assembly line has recently overcome several manufacturing hurdles.
Production experienced a noticeable slowdown throughout 2025 as Russian engineers worked to replace Western-sourced electronics and sensors with domestically produced alternatives due to global sanctions.
While this redesign caused temporary delays, it is viewed as a necessary step for Moscow to insulate its military supply chains from future geopolitical pressure.
On the domestic front, India is strongly considering the potential for licensed production to align with the "Make in India" initiative.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) recently evaluated its manufacturing sites and concluded that roughly 50 percent of its current infrastructure could be repurposed to build the Su-57.
However, manufacturing these advanced fighters locally would require a deep and comprehensive Transfer of Technology (ToT) from Russia.
Ultimately, New Delhi's final decision is pending a detailed financial breakdown and firm commitments regarding technology sharing.
With the Ministry of Defence increasingly focused on building domestic industrial capacity and ensuring that the military does not rely entirely on foreign suppliers for long-term maintenance, these technical and financial terms will dictate the future of this stealth fighter deal.
