Sukhoi-57 Emerges as India’s First Choice for 5th-Gen Fighter Amid Escalating South Asian Arms Race

February 23, 2026
Sikh Siyasat Bureau

Sukhoi-57 Emerges as India’s First Choice for 5th-Gen Fighter Amid Escalating South Asian Arms Race

February 23, 2026
Sikh Siyasat Bureau

NEW DELHI — After clearing the Rafale jet deal with France, India is now set to formalise the procurement of a fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, with the Sukhoi-57 from Russia emerging as the primary choice. The Russian jet previously made a flying demonstration at Aero India in Bengaluru in February last year.

The move comes at a time of severe military buildup and an intensifying arms race in South Asia, following the intense four-day air conflict between India and Pakistan in May last year (Operation Sindoor).

The Strategic Threat and Stopgap Measures

As per reports in Indian Media, the Ministry of Defence and the Indian Air Force (IAF) have discussed the immediate need for a fifth-generation jet, driven primarily by China’s growing fleet. China currently has operational fifth-generation jets—the J-20 and the J-35—and has promised to supply the latter to Pakistan. This offer was the first major defense “sop” Beijing announced for Islamabad following the India-Pakistan border conflict last May.

The Russian Sukhoi-57 is being viewed as the preferred stopgap arrangement until India’s own fifth-generation jet, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), is ready for deployment in about 10 years.

The Accelerating Arms Race

The push for advanced fighters is just one facet of a rapidly escalating arms race between New Delhi and Islamabad:

India’s Missile Advancements: India has been aggressively testing its missile capabilities to prepare for new high-profile military inventories. Recently, India successfully test-fired the nuclear-capable Agni-3 ballistic missile and conducted critical tests for its developing hypersonic missile programme.

Pakistan’s Strategic Shifts: Pakistan has taken significant strategic counter-measures, including the rare elevation of its serving military chief to the five-star rank of Field Marshal. Additionally, Pakistan has formed a new Army Rocket Force Command to consolidate and enhance its tactical and strategic missile delivery systems.

Ruling Out the US F-35

The US option for a fifth-generation jet—the F-35—is not currently under consideration due to Indian concerns over strict US operational restrictions.

Weapon Integration Limits: A primary concern is the potential non-integration of Indian weapons on board the US aircraft. The existing IAF fleet of Sukhoi-30MKI jets successfully integrated the BrahMos cruise missile, a capability actively utilized during Operation Sindoor. Without this integration freedom, India would be forced to purchase costly arsenals exclusively from Western nations.

Intrusive Monitoring: Defense sources cited the heavy restrictions the US has imposed on the Pakistan Air Force regarding its F-16 jets, where each sortie is monitored by the US, and American engineers are based at Pakistani airbases even for routine maintenance.

The Disconnect Between Political Offers and Military Reality

This rejection of American hardware contrasts sharply with recent high-level political assurances. During a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington DC in February last year, US President Donald Trump stated, “We will be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We are also paving the way to ultimately provide India with F-35 stealth fighters.” Despite these top-down promises, the restrictive operational conditions imposed by Washington make the F-35 an unviable option for the IAF.

Operational Synergy with Russia

Weighing heavily in favour of the Russian offer is the maintenance commonality the Sukhoi-57 shares with the existing Sukhoi-30MKI fleet. The Russians have formally made an offer of the Sukhoi-57, and a delegation has already inspected the manufacturing and maintenance facilities available at the Nashik unit of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

“We are yet to start negotiations with the Russians; that will happen once IAF teams take a deep dive into what all is on offer,” defence sources noted.

India previously signed an agreement with Russia in 2007 for the joint development of a fifth-generation fighter aircraft in collaboration with HAL. While both nations initially committed $6 billion to the project, India withdrew in 2018, citing concerns over cost, work share, and perceived capability gaps.

The Fifth-Generation Shift

A fifth-generation aircraft is defined by advanced capabilities that allow a pilot to maintain decision superiority over an adversary. Superior onboard sensors and radar-evading stealth technology—backed by millions of lines of software code—make it extremely difficult for enemy air defenses to track the plane.

The classification of a generational shift occurs when such technological innovations are so fundamental that they cannot simply be incorporated into older aircraft through upgrades and retrospective fit-outs. For context: