India rules out near-term purchases of Russian Su‑57 fighters
Delhi says it will upgrade existing Su‑30MKI fleet rather than buy new Sukhoi fighters in the near term.
India has ruled out buying new Russian Sukhoi fighters, including the Su-57, in the near future, the Ministry of Defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on Tuesday.
New purchases off the table as upgrades take priority
Singh told reporters that New Delhi is concentrating on modernising its current fleet rather than acquiring fresh Sukhoi aircraft. "No, we have not considered new Sukhoi aircraft. India is actively working on upgrading the existing Sukhois, which we produce under Russian licence," he said.
The announcement underlines that India will prioritise upgrades to existing platforms: the country already operates about 260 Su-30MKI fighters assembled under Russian licence.
Earlier this year Moscow offered New Delhi a batch of Su-57 fighters — reported offers ranged between 36 and 40 aircraft — and President Vladimir Putin said in June that Russia stood ready to deliver Su-57s to New Delhi. Still, the defence secretary indicated that such a purchase is not planned in the near term.
Analysts say the decision reflects New Delhi's longer-term move toward diversifying suppliers and extending the life of its current aircraft through avionics, engine and weapons upgrades. For now, investment and industrial effort will go into modernising the Su-30MKI force rather than adding a new Sukhoi type to service.
Photo: press material from the event
