India will not buy new Russian Sukhoi fighter jets, including the Su-57 model, in the near future, said the Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Defense, Rajesh Kumar Singh.
According to him, the Indian authorities are currently focused on modernizing the existing fleet of aircraft and not on purchasing new aircraft. India already has about 260 Su-30MKI aircraft, which are produced domestically under a Russian license.
Talking about the possibility of buying new Sukhoi jets, Singh said “no, we have not considered buying new Sukhoi jets. India is actively working on modernizing the Su-30 jets that we already produce under Russian license.”
According to the Defense Security Asia portal, the Russian side had previously offered India the purchase of 36 to 40 Su-57 aircraft.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had stated in June that Moscow was ready to supply New Delhi with these fifth-generation fighter jets.
The Indian official’s statement indicates that, at least for the time being, India prioritizes improving the capabilities of its existing air fleet, while purchasing new Russian aircraft is not part of its short-term plans. /Telegraph/