As Stealth Trumps Dogfights, India Eyes 5th Generation Russian Fighter Jets

Less than a year after Operation Sindoor, defence corridors are abuzz with speculation that India is considering procuring Russian fifth-generation fighter aircraft, the Sukhoi Su-57, to boost the Air Force arsenal, sources have told NDTV. The Air Force, the sources added, may order 40 such jets if India eventually decides to go ahead.

Aerial warfare has entered an era in which detection, and not combat capabilities, will be the key differentiating factor. Fifth-generation fighter aircraft, such as the Sukhoi Su-57, come with enhanced stealth capabilities that make detection by enemy forces difficult.

A fifth-generation fighter aircraft has several stealth features, such as an airframe shaped to evade radar. These frames are made of radar-absorbent materials. These sophisticated aircraft also have specialised weapons for 'low observability' and advanced sensor fusion and supercruise capabilities.

What Is Sukhoi Su-57 Like

According to the Sukhoi website, Su-57 has several unique features. "This fifth-generation aircraft is equipped with a fundamentally new complex of deeply integrated avionics, which has a high level of automation for combat use and intelligent crew support. The aircraft's on-board equipment allows it to perform tasks not only autonomously, but also to exchange data in real time, both with ground control systems and as part of a task force," it says.

"The aircraft can use a wide range of air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions, allowing it to perform both fighter and strike tasks. Su-57 has the ability to carry out covert actions, due to low level of visibility in radar, infrared and visible wavelength ranges," Sukhoi has said.

Su-57's auxiliary power unit, it says, provides high deployment autonomy, reduced fuel consumption during ground testing and saves the lives of the main engines. "The use of an on-board oxygen extraction unit also ensures high autonomy of the aircraft operation. The use of an explosion-proof fuel tank system on the aircraft, made as a generator-type neutral gas system makes it possible in combination with other measures to implement the aircraft's high level of combat survivability," Sukhoi has said.

The Operation Sindoor Backdrop

In May last year, India launched Operation Sindoor to avenge the killing of innocents in the Pahalgam terror attack in April. Air battles with the Pakistan Air Force during Operation Sindoor had provided the Indian security establishment with fresh insights into how they must prepare for the future. Discussions around Sukhoi Su-57 need to be seen in this context.

China, Pakistan's all-weather ally, has developed fifth-generation J-20 stealth fighters and these may pass on to Pakistan soon. India must, therefore, upgrade its hangar.

In fact, India is developing its own fifth-generation stealth fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft. The first flight of this aircraft is expected sometime in 2028 or 2029, and it is likely to enter the Air Force only around 2035.