Russia offers India advanced twin-seat Su-57 fighter jets with full tech transfer – Pakistan stunned

The United States offered India the single-seat F-35. Russia is now proposing the Su-57M1E twin-seat fighter with AESA radar and source code access, reviving the FGFA programme from which New Delhi exited in 2018.

New Delhi: India is preparing to finalise a deal with France for 114 Rafale fighter jets to address its immediate air force needs. But the bigger concern for the Indian Air Force (IAF) is fifth-generation fighter jets, as Beijing already operates J-20 and J-35 aircraft. Reports suggest that China may also pursue fifth-generation deals with Pakistan.

India has received offers from both the United States and Russia, though it has not so far committed to either the F-35 or the Su-57. Now, Russia has made an offer for the Su-57M1E that India will find difficult to refuse.

Updated Su-57 offer

Moscow has presented New Delhi with an updated version of its Su-57 stealth fighter. According to Defence.in, during the ‘Wings India 2026’ exhibition, high-level meetings between Indian and Russian officials included the twin-seat Su-57 as part of Moscow’s proposal. The offer includes full technology transfer and access to source code, similar to the arrangements made for BrahMos and Astra missiles.

Russia plans to restart the fifth-generation fighter (FGFA) project that India left in 2018 and produce it together with India.

Twin-seat advantage

Reports say that Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has provided detailed plans allowing India to produce critical components of the fighter domestically. The offer includes advanced technologies such as next-generation engines (Izdeliye 30 / AL-51F1), AESA radar systems, updated optical sensors and source code access that would allow integration of Indian-made weapons like BrahMos and Astra.

The aircraft also incorporates artificial intelligence for combat automation.

India’s 2018 exit from FGFA

India had withdrawn from the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) programme in 2018, citing rising costs, limited involvement for Indian engineers and doubts over stealth and engine performance.

Since then, the IAF has prioritised the indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). However, the AMCA prototype is expected to fly only in 2029, with large-scale production unlikely before the mid-2030s.

Russia positions the Su-57 as a strategic bridge to address India’s present stealth capability gap.

How Su-57 differs from F-35

Unlike the US F-35, which is a single-seat fighter, the Su-57M1E is twin-seat. Experts say that modern manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) requires a second crew member. The rear-seat operator functions as a mission commander or ‘mini-AWACS’, managing a fleet of stealth drones such as the S-70 Okhotnik, while the pilot focusses on flight and air-to-air combat operations.

Indian interest reignited

Russia’s defense industry states that the twin-seat prototype is already being assembled at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant (KnAAZ). The IAF has shown interest in the updated Su-57M1E, though Delhi is cautious.

Sources indicate India could acquire at least two squadrons (40 jets) to maintain modern capabilities, while keeping full focus on the indigenous AMCA project to avoid disrupting its long-term plans.

The proposal is being watched across the region, particularly by Pakistan, as it could alter South Asia’s aerial balance in the coming decade.