NI on India’s decision on Su-57: It’s one thing to sketch a plane on paper, the other is to build and make it fly
The American magazine The National Interest published material in which the author tries to analyze the issue of India’s refusal to acquire Russian Su-57 fighters. The author writes: “So why did India abandon the Russian Su-57? According to representatives of the Indian Air Force, it is very expensive, poorly designed, and also has unreliable engines. Is it true?"
The author at the very beginning of the material makes a certain mistake. After all, the Indian Air Force did not abandon the Su-57, but from joint work on the FGFA program. It was precisely the unwillingness of further joint work with Russia on the new generation fighter program that the Indian authorities announced. The talk of putting Su-57 to India so far has not (officially) gone. The main reason is that the fifth-generation fighter Su-57 has not yet been delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces.
But in the article, the author of NI still mentions the program of Russian-Indian cooperation. In the article he writes:
According to the author of the article, Indian complaints revealed the following problem: "it is one thing to sketch an improved military aircraft on paper, and it is quite another to build and make it fly."
The author claims that India was planning to buy 144 stealth fighters. But the way the work was carried out as part of the program did not satisfy her. Now India, as you know, is trying to create a 5th generation airplane on its own.
And in the opinion of the author of another publication, Business Standard, India’s refusal of a joint program with the Russian Federation was politically motivated. And in India itself, statements about this were made that the agreements with France on the purchase of Rafale played a decisive role. Opposition circles have called the deal with France a "trail of corruption." The reason for this version was the excessively high cost of the contract for French-made fighters.
- company "Sukhoi"
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