HAL can Produce Su-57 Stealth Fighters in India, Russian Team Assesses

A Russian technical delegation has assessed that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) possesses around 50 percent of the infrastructure and capability required to manufacture the Su-57E stealth fighter in India.

The report, submitted to HAL last month, followed a detailed visit in September by representatives from the Sukhoi Design Bureau and other Russian defence entities. The team inspected HAL’s key aircraft manufacturing, engine, and avionics facilities to evaluate the company’s readiness for domestic production of the fifth-generation fighter.

Russian sources told defensemirror.com that the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) is already in discussions with HAL on a licence-manufacturing plan modeled on the Su-30MKI program signed in 2000. Under the proposal, HAL could emerge as a major production hub for Su-57 aircraft outside Russia, supplying components and providing lifecycle support to third-country customers.

The discussions are gaining momentum ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s scheduled visit to New Delhi in the first week of December. Moscow has been urging India to consider the Su-57 for its future fighter fleet, while New Delhi has indicated a requirement for two to three squadrons of fifth-generation aircraft. Russia’s Su-57 and the U.S. F-35 remain the main options.

The talks also unfold at a time when Washington has imposed steep tariffs on Indian exports — 25 percent across sectors, with an additional 25 percent linked to India’s Russian oil imports — even as India continues to deepen defence ties with Moscow.

India has reportedly sought advanced air-defence systems such as the S-400 and S-500 from Russia. The two countries had earlier collaborated on the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) program, which India later exited over cost and technology concerns.

Alongside foreign options, India is developing its own fifth-generation platform, the indigenous AMCA, expected to fly in 2028 and enter service by 2035.