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.

 

[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 !!