SOURCE: AFI
According to Bloomberg, India and Russia might be revisiting the idea of jointly developing a 5th generation fighter jet. This potential rekindling of discussions comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares for his first bilateral visit to Russia since his third term win, later this month.
The initial collaboration, under the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) program, envisioned a joint effort to build a two-seater variant based on Russia’s Su-57 jet. However, India pulled out of the project in 2018 due to concerns about the Su-57’s capabilities.
While Russia has offered its new Su-75, a single-engine export-oriented stealth fighter, as an alternative, India seems hesitant about major Russian aircraft purchases at this time.
This potential resumption of talks suggests India’s continued pursuit of a next-generation fighter jet. Whether this translates into a revived FGFA program or an entirely new collaboration remains to be seen. The upcoming visit between PM Modi and Russian leadership could provide clarity on the future of India’s 5th generation fighter jet ambitions.