Is Russia's Su-57 super fighter far inferior to America's F-35?

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has officially requested the government to cancel the joint project to manufacture the fifth-generation fighter aircraft FGFA with Russia.

Sukhoi/HAL FGFA is the name of the joint Russian-Indian program to manufacture 5th generation fighters, which was launched in October 2007 and is expected to be completed around 2022.

The project, worth around $30 billion, follows a similar model to BrahMos Aerospace (which produces the BrahMos supersonic anti-ship missile based on the Yakhont prototype) by choosing the Sukhoi Su-57 as a development model.

New Delhi is the main budget contributor to the joint venture, they expect to receive an advanced fighter jet, possessing features equivalent to the US's 5th generation fighter and surpassing China's J-20.

Sukhoi Su-57 Stealth Fighter - Development Prototype of FGFA.

However, unlike the BrahMos missile, which was built based on the P-800 Yakhont - a weapon that has long been completed and in combat readiness, the Su-57 fighter is still in the testing phase, so India's actions are considered risky.

The IAF has repeatedly complained that the tactical and technical characteristics of the PAK FA (now the Su-57) are not as advertised, and that the number of technical errors that Russia has hidden is even greater than that of the F-35, while its combat capabilities are far from being equivalent to those of American fighters.

This assessment was further confirmed when yesterday, Indian media simultaneously reported that the country's air force proposed to cancel the joint venture project because it was reaching a dead end.

The FGFA fighter based on the Su-57 is criticized for having too high a radar cross-section, very unreliable engines, and high operating costs.

India may buy F-35s instead of continuing to invest in the FGFA program.

Besides, another extremely important reason that makes India angry is that Russia is not serious about sharing research achievements, despite the fact that New Delhi is the main sponsor.

Looking at the participants in the F-35 program, Japan and Italy have already produced Lightning II domestically, and soon Türkiye will be able to assemble this fighter locally, not to mention Israel can proactively change components thanks to software encryption.

For India, they believe that Russia still retains its own secret to apply on its Su-57 and only gives New Delhi "second-class technology", which is clearly unacceptable.

If Russia does not change, the prospect of this South Asian country canceling the FGFA project is obvious and not just an empty threat, especially when the US is inviting them to buy F-35A fighters while leaving open the possibility of allowing India to assemble them domestically.

According to Baodatviet