5 hrs ago
India Delays Stealth Fighter Decision, Pursues AI-Enabled Air Networks
India is deciding how to strengthen its fighter aircraft fleet.
China already has many stealth fighters, but India does not currently operate any.
Russia wants India to buy its Su-57 stealth fighter and has offered to build it in India.
India is also developing its own stealth aircraft, called the AMCA.
The first AMCA test aircraft may appear in September 2028.
Defence Secretary RK Singh said India has not yet chosen whether to buy a foreign stealth fighter.
He said networks of radars, sensors, and computers can help older fighters find and avoid threats.
Artificial intelligence could make those networks work even better.
India is weighing whether these systems can help until the AMCA is ready.
India has not decided whether to acquire Russia’s Su-57 stealth fighter, Defence Secretary RK Singh said.
China is believed to operate about 500 J-20 and J-35 stealth fighters, while India currently has none in service.
India’s first AMCA prototype is expected to roll out in September 2028, with service entry still potentially nearly a decade away.
Singh said artificial intelligence could enhance Tejas and other 4.5-generation fighters through connected sensors and command networks.
Russia has offered licensed Su-57 production in India with technology transfer, while Pakistan has agreed initially to acquire Chinese J-35 fighters.
- Who
- India’s Defence Secretary RK Singh, the Indian government, Russia, and India’s air-defence planners are central to the decision.
- What
- India has not decided whether to acquire Russia’s Su-57, while pursuing the indigenous AMCA and AI-enhanced air networks.
- Where
- The issue was discussed at the NDTV Defence Summit 2026 in India; the proposed Su-57 production would be in India.
- When
- The decision remains pending; the first AMCA prototype is expected to roll out in September 2028.
- Why
- India faces a reported stealth-fighter gap with China and is considering foreign acquisition, domestic development, and networked technology as possible responses.
Networked Fighters and Indigenous Development
Immediate Stealth-Fighter Acquisition
How to close the capability gap
Networked Fighters and Indigenous Development
Defence Secretary RK Singh said integrated sensors, command networks, and an artificial-intelligence layer could improve the performance of Tejas and other 4.5-generation fighters.
Immediate Stealth-Fighter Acquisition
Russia is pressing India to acquire the Su-57, arguing through its offer of licensed production and deep technology transfer for a faster route to a stealth capability.
Long-term aircraft strategy
Networked Fighters and Indigenous Development
India’s current approach centres on the indigenous AMCA programme, with its first prototype expected in September 2028.
Immediate Stealth-Fighter Acquisition
Support for acquiring a foreign stealth fighter is driven by concerns that the AMCA could take years to enter service while China and Pakistan expand their stealth-fighter capabilities.
Key facts
- Pending decision
- The Indian government has not decided whether to acquire a fifth-generation fighter from abroad.
- Russian proposal
- Russia has offered India the Su-57, licensed production, and deep technology transfer.
- India’s programme
- The AMCA is India’s current fifth-generation fighter programme.
- AMCA milestone
- The first AMCA prototype is expected to roll out in September 2028.
- China’s fleet
- China is believed to operate approximately 500 J-20 and J-35 stealth fighters.
- Network system
- The IACCS links radars, sensors, air-defence units, and command centres into a real-time airspace picture.
- Regional development
- Pakistan has signed an initial agreement to acquire Chinese J-35 stealth fighters.
Quotes
RK Singh
India’s Defence Secretary
“We have a very good network available - the (IAF's) IACCS (Integrated Air Command and Control System) which is also getting combined with the army's network and with our air defence network, there are ways of putting in an artificial intelligence layer on it to improve the performance of your 4.5 generation fighters”
NDTV
“On the induction of fifth-generation fighter aircraft from global sources, the government has not taken a decision as yet. As of now, our fifth-generation fighter aircraft programme is AMCA. But we'll see where it goes.”
NDTV
Sources
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