India is hosting its mega aviation show, Aero India 2025.
New Delhi: India is hosting its mega aviation show, Aero India 2025, the biennial air show and aviation exhibition at Yelahanka Air Force Station, Bengaluru from February 10 to 15. Aero India is India’s premier aerospace and defence exhibition where global aero vendors and the Indian Air Force (IAF) thrill the spectators with back-to-back aerobatic flying displays.
Russia will be sending its much celebrated fifth-generation stealth fighter, Su-57 Felon to the show while speculations are rife that America’s F-35 Lightning II fighter too will be marking its presence. It will be the debut of Su-57 Felon in the Indian skies.
The F-35 Lightning II fighter had participated in Aero India 2023. It is believed that India could be closing a deal with the USA to procure these jets. On the other hand, given Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inclination to export the Su-57, it is likely that a ground would be prepared for negotiations between the old partners as the Indian Air Force (IAF) looks ahead to add more high-power performance aircraft into its arsenal.
Before featuring in Aero India air show, the Su-57 made its maiden appearance at the Zhuhai Air Show in China in November 2024, its first-ever air show in a foreign country.
The Su-57 forms the backbone of the Russian air power as it is said to be Russia’s most advanced front-line aircraft. It is an unofficial competitor to the US F-35 and Chinese J-20 Mighty Dragon. Hence its performance at the Yelahanka Air Force Station holds a significant stake in attracting the attention of the IAF.
The debut of Su-57 at the air show is strategically timed as Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to visit India later this year and he is likely to offer Su-57 deal to India as part of a larger defence deal and the two nations may also explore the possibility of co-manufacturing the 5th-generation warplane under the Make in India initiative.
According to experts, President Putin’s visit presents New Delhi with a golden opportunity to further strengthen its defence and strategic ties with Russia, including making a bid to acquire the Su-57 5th-gen fighter aircraft to upgrade IAF’s aging fleet.
Russia’s renewed pitch for Su-57 includes an offer of improvements in stealth, avionics, and combat capabilities, including integrating hypersonic weapons.
Developed and manufactured by Sukhoi, the Su-57 was recently inducted into the Russian Air Force. The Su-57 is considered one of the most advanced stealth fighter jets in the world and is equipped with cutting-edge capabilities in terms of stealth, speed and maneuverability.
The Indian Air Force is currently operating over 250 Su-30MKIs and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has the experience of license-producing Russian fighter jets.
The two countries signed a contract to develop the fifth-generation fighter aircraft in 2007 according to which it was envisioned that the Indian aerospace maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will collaborate with the Russian Sukhoi Design Bureau to develop an improved variant of the Su-57 stealth fighter.
If a deal is closed and the manufacturing of Su-57 gets through, it will mark another fruitful collaboration between Russia and India very much like those during the times of the Soviet Union.
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