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This allegedly means that Russia is now left with only one possible byer of their fifth generation fighter jets.
With a grinding war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, numerous sanctions, and an increasing federal budget deficit, Russia is trying to make money with the countries still willing to actually do business with it.
One of those countries is India, which has been one of the biggest importers of Russian crude oil since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, and Russia remains a major supplier of military hardware for India.
But if Putin hoped to get some desperately needed income from a new fighter jet deal with India, it seems like he is about to be very disappointed.
No new fighter jets
According to United24 Media, Indian Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh stated that New Delhi will focus on modernizing its existing fighter fleet while pushing forward its domestic stealth aircraft project.
Singh did not name the specific Russian jet directly. However, he confirmed India has no plans to acquire a “new version of the Sukhois”, according to India Today and Aerospace Global News.
Moscow had offered its Su-57E export variant alongside licensed local production and technology transfers, United24 Media noted. But Indian officials declined the offer after previous joint fighter partnerships collapsed.
The decision leaves Algeria as the only publicly identified foreign buyer for the Su-57E. Russian authorities, however, claim additional undisclosed deals exist.
Upgrading the fleet
According to Aerospace Global News, India is directing resources toward the roughly 260 Su-30MKI jets already in service rather than procuring new fighter jet models.
New Delhi is preparing a sweeping modernization known as the Super Sukhoi upgrade. The project will equip existing jets with new avionics, electronic warfare suites, updated weapons, and advanced navigation gear.
To replace past losses, India’s Defense Ministry also placed an order for 12 additional Su-30MKIs from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at a cost of roughly 135 billion rupees, or $1.42 billion.
Strategic shift ahead
Tensions over Russian fighter partnerships trace back to a 2010 design agreement worth $295 million between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Rosoboronexport, Aerospace Global News reported.
India walked away in 2018. Officials cited serious concerns over stealth performance, electronic warfare capabilities, rising costs, and restricted technology sharing.
Despite the rejection, New Delhi is not breaking ties with Moscow entirely. India continues operating Russian tanks, submarines, and air defense systems, while jointly producing hardware like the BrahMos missile, Kyiv Post reports.
Even so, analysts cited by Aerospace Global News noted that Moscow’s expanding economic reliance on China has made Indian defense planners far more cautious about long-term foreign dependencies.
