Arms trade

Could Russia Design a Fifth-Generation Variant of the Su-35 for India?

With the future of India’s HAL fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), a program to design an Indian next generation fighter based on the Russian Su-57 fifth-generation air superiority platform, currently uncertain, Moscow and New Delhi are reportedly discussing developing a “fifth-generation” version of the Su-35 for India’s needs. This would provide the Indian Air Force with a fifth-generation air superiority platform at a lower cost that the Su-57 derivative — a capability the country sorely needs in light of the induction of the J-20 heavy fifth-generation fighter in neighboring China.

At Abu Dhabi’s IDEX show, the CEO of Russia’s Rostec, Sergey Chemezov, stated, “We have been negotiating and have signed the intention protocol for the Su-35. Now we are working on designing ideas for this contract and on creating a manufacturing platform for an aircraft of the fifth generation.”

The size of India’s intended order remains uncertain, but could well be over 100 platforms, considering the size of previous orders and the planned size of orders for the FGFA fighter.