- Russia offers S-500 air defence and Su-57 fighter to India.
- India developing indigenous S-400 class system, Project Kusha.
- Proposal revives past FGFA project issues with Su-57.
Russia is reportedly making an aggressive renewed push for a defence pact with India to sell the S-500 Prometheus air defence/anti-ballistic missile system and the Su-57 Felon stealth fighter.
According to a report by NDTV, Moscow is preparing a new pitch as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin are set to meet again in a few days in New Delhi, on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.
India is already looking to boost its air defence and combat strength with advanced aircraft.
S-500 missile system
According to the report, Moscow is focusing on selling the S-500, the country's newest air defence missile system and an advanced version of the S-400, which proved consequential during Operation Sindoor.
However, the S-500 proposal comes at a time when India is working on Project Kusha, an effort to develop an S-400-class air defence system indigenously.
India's own Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) program has advanced significantly with a lot of capital already invested, and hence, there would be much to consider before the government proceeds with the offer.
All about S-500
The S-500 Prometheus is the world's most advanced and powerful next-generation air and anti-ballistic missile defence system developed by Russia. It is a more capable and high-altitude strategic defence shield than the S-400 missile system.
Its interception range is approximately 500 to 600 kilometres. Its advanced radar can detect threats from over 800 kilometres away. The system's response time is less than 4 seconds, compared to the S-400's response time of approximately 10 seconds.
It can easily target hypersonic missiles, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), cruise missiles, and fifth-generation stealth fighter jets (such as the F-35 and F-22).
Sukhoi Su-57 Felon
The second major proposal is the Sukhoi Su-57 Felon, a fifth-generation stealth, multirole fighter jet. India currently operates nearly 260 Su-30 MKI, the Russian-origin jointly developed fourth gen aircraft.
The Indian Air Force's fighter squadrons are steadily declining, and India's own indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) will take several years to complete.
Russia is looking to push India to fill that void with the Su-57 Felon, especially when neighbouring countries like Pakistan and China are evolving their air defence architecture.
The report suggests that China is already operating over 500 J-20 stealth fighter jets while Pakistan is expected to start receiving J-35, a fifth-gen twin-engine Chinese fighter jet, in the coming months.
Will India reverse its FGFA exit?
It must be noted that if India considers buying the aircraft, it would have to retract on its 2018 decision to abandon the India-Russia Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) project after 11 years of collaboration. The decision was taken with an intent to develop indigenous fifth-gen fighter jets.
The Sukhoi-HAL collaboration program was dropped over technical shortfalls, as the Su-57 platform had failed to meet the stealth capabilities, combat avionics, radars, and sensors that India had wanted. Unbalanced work share and costs, Russia's refusal to share source code, were among other reasons behind India's exit.
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About Sukhoi Su-57
The Sukhoi Su-57 is Russia's first fifth-generation, twin-engine, stealth, multirole fighter aircraft. This aircraft is capable of evading enemy radar, using composite materials and an internal weapons bay that reduce radar signals.
It can fly at supersonic speeds (greater than Mach 1.3) without afterburner and can reach a maximum speed of Mach 2.