Why India Didn't Reverse Engineered Sukhoi Su-30MKI Like China did with Su-30MKK

India and China, both significant military powers in Asia, have taken contrasting paths in their acquisition and utilization of the Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet program.

While China opted to reverse-engineer the less advanced Su-30MKK variant to develop its own indigenous versions, India pursued a different approach focused on technology transfer and long-term self-reliance.

India's decision to engage in a complex technology transfer agreement with Russia for the Su-30MKI program aimed to achieve more than just the assembly of the aircraft domestically. It sought to gain the knowledge and expertise necessary to design and develop future generations of fighter jets indigenously. This strategic move aligns with India's ambition to become a major player in the global aerospace industry.

Conversely, China's approach prioritised a faster acquisition of the Su-30MKK variant and cost savings through reverse engineering. While this allowed for the rapid development of indigenous variants like the J-11 and J-16, it may not have resulted in a complete transfer of knowledge or the ability to design entirely new aircraft.

The contrasting approaches of India and China to the Su-30MKI program underscore their differing strategic priorities. China's focus on faster acquisition and cost savings contrasts with India's emphasis on technology transfer and long-term self-reliance. The long-term success of each approach remains to be seen.

India's experience gained through the Su-30MKI program is now being leveraged in ambitious programs like the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), which aims to develop a 5th generation fighter jet indigenously.

 

[charminar_waale_ismail_bhai]

In Year 2004 CCP Govt came begging to UPA govt for joint LCA fbw s/w developments.

This is intresting to know. Any legitimate source of your claim

 

[Snapper Snap]

Truth is not a single country wanted to give India engine technology at all. Russia never gave us despite begging..

 

[Balasubramaniam_Orchid]

Wish our DPSU’s knew how to, we also license built atleast 10 foreign engines, did we copy any of those engines.

Copying & reproducing such complicated piece of technology like an fighter aircraft or aero engines, requires distinctly a different set of re-engineering skills, which China has been able to do for quite some time now...

 

[PKPRS]

Agree, stupid decisions by us has resulted in poor industrial capacity…

Indian’s are not as mechanically as inclined as the Germans, most of the machinery used by by the West and Russia were copied from Germany tech after WW2, we are weak in reverse engineering as well.

 

[Aloo]

A global pharmacy for low cost generic drugs.
Has any Indian pharma actually developed a bloockbuster.
As usual low hanging fruit.

Typical Rant.

SU 30 production is also just manufacturing other's technology. Low hanging fruit too.

Also India's drug policy doesn't protect formula but it protects method. To copy a drug, a company has to devise it's own method which is extremely challenging.

An anecdote: It's like knowing formula of Single Crystal Blade but still figuring out how to forge, weld, temper, right temperature, composition and also develop any tech required mid process.

 

[Aloo]

Blame the incompetence of Indian R&D sector, talking about principles won't get you anywhere...

How do you know R&D capacity is to be blamed and not policy and politics ?

Also how can you blame respecting IPR ? I support China's approach, wish we did same, but not violating IPR is not bad.

 

[vikrant rao]

Because of what China did the Russians stopped sharing critical technology with them for over 20 years until.... Idiotic West pushed both together and now, Russia the only country with cutting edge functional hypersonic tech is being begged by China for ToT but it still hasn't accepted atleast, we don't know publicly yet if they have in fact given it to them? Chinese hypersonics can hit static targets with accuracy but not moving targets like a ship on the sea. Chinese reverse engineering and stealing of IPR then exporting to Pak totally pissed off the Russians bec then from Pak it goes to the Americans. Even today, Chinese reverse engineered Russian aircraft perform poorly at Tibetan airfields and high altitudes resulting in engine seizures, burn out etc. The Chinese are smart and they have made rapid progress and will solve this in due course but it still shows how critical tech cannot simply be copied! India is on the right path and bec it respects IPRs countries like Russia, France, Israel trust India with ToT agreements. It's slow but better in the long run.

 

[Raja Raja Cholan]

Copying & reproducing such complicated piece of technology like an fighter aircraft or aero engines, requires distinctly a different set of re-engineering skills, which China has been able to do for quite some time now...

Exactly. But I always asked myself this nagging question. Why India did not choose to be smart like the chinese and strive to be proactive in taking the lead. India not necessarily has to steal technology through backdoor tactics like how the chinese stole vital technologies from the Americans. Indian engineers had the opportunity to learn from experience in the assembly of Su 30 local production but it didn't happen, a missed opportunity.

Sadly one Indian scientist working in American establishment gave the chinese vital technology secrets. The chinese were hungry to produce fighter aircrafts with advanced technology so they pursued aggressively in acquiring advanced technology secrets by hook or crook. That is the chinese character, their mentality always wants to be leader and the winner in every thing to position themselves as superior people. It is this mentality they employ at border to be ahead of the Indian armed forces.

 

[MANISH TOLIA]

Fact is that Government entity was involved and private sector was bared from Defence production .

Now as private sector gets involved efficency and new technology will get involved faster

 

[MANISH TOLIA]

Indian’s are not as mechanically as inclined as the Germans, most of the machinery used by by the West and Russia were copied from Germany tech after WW2, we are weak in reverse engineering as well.

Sir

We are mechanically developed .

Infact our bikes are exported to many countries .

Defence was not open to private sector .

Now we are developing by lips and bounds

 

[amerjit johal]

This is intresting to know. Any legitimate source of your claim

I think I've read something to that effect, don't recall the source though.

 

[alpha numeric]

Sir

We are mechanically developed .

Infact our bikes are exported to many countries .

Defence was not open to private sector .

Now we are developing by lips and bounds

Building a motorcycle is not the same as building an aircraft let alone it's engine. Having an open private sector is useless unless they don't have a customer base to absorb their produce. Defense has been open since 2000s

 

[alpha numeric]

Exactly. But I always asked myself this nagging question. Why India did not choose to be smart like the chinese and strive to be proactive in taking the lead. India not necessarily has to steal technology through backdoor tactics like how the chinese stole vital technologies from the Americans. Indian engineers had the opportunity to learn from experience in the assembly of Su 30 local production but it didn't happen, a missed opportunity.

Sadly one Indian scientist working in American establishment gave the chinese vital technology secrets. The chinese were hungry to produce fighter aircrafts with advanced technology so they pursued aggressively in acquiring advanced technology secrets by hook or crook. That is the chinese character, their mentality always wants to be leader and the winner in every thing to position themselves as superior people. It is this mentality they employ at border to be ahead of the Indian armed forces.

Buddy China is a country that cares about outcome. We care about human rights, freedom of speech, labor rights and environmental rights even if that means staying poor, incompetent and useless. The Chinese had a scorched earth policy when it came to industrial development. We had/have a self righteous one, Nandigram, POSCO(Korean steel giant), Singur and now the Foxconn married woman issue. We don't think, we feel and we whine and we vote and we repeat that cycle of petty populist stupidity and that is where we have a competitive advantage. Democracy was the worst thing to happen to India since we gained independence form those british trash.

 

[Hita Techi]

Because Chinese leadership is focused and plan for the long term meanwhile our leadership always busy with short term and kickbacks

 

[Hegde Deepak]

Lol ! The real fact is that Indian DPSU's are simply incapable of and totally incompetent for reverse engineering. The worst thing is that we want to hide behind statements like" we don't want to violate IPR!", to hide our incompetence !!