Fuelling one monumental event in its defence modernization, India is building its strategy around two nuclear-powered workhorse fighter jets: the American-based F-35 Lightning II and the Russian-made Su-57 Felon. This decision would go a long way to transform air power in India and strengthen military deterrence by India. Both planes have advanced technology, with the difference that each of them has its own advantages. The F-35 has stealth, enhanced sensor fusion, and unparalleled digital war systems. The Su-57, on the other hand, would offer familiarity in operation, supermanoeuvrability, and a potential possibility to co-produce a jet, which is important in the Indian context to promote its newly initiated government policy, the Make in India program. The shift is not hardware alone; it is a recalibration of the strategic security architecture of India in the long term.
Regional Reverberations: China and Pakistan on Alert
India’s move to purchase fifth-generation fighter aircraft has already created a strategic stir in Asia. Pakistan, being much dependent on the JF-17 and older platforms, does not have such a counterbalance. Likewise, though China has already put into action its stealth fighter (J-20), questions are still arising on its actual capabilities and mass production level. Whenever India buys the F-35 or the Su-57, the scale of air superiority will tilt in its favour. The upgrade would offset any gains opponents make in air fighting, electromagnetic war, and surveillance, leaving India with an ultimate upper edge next time in the battle or intimidation stances.
Beyond Air Superiority: Strategic and Industrial Implications
This acquisition is not limited to fighting the threats, but it is a part of India’s overall strategic ambitions. With tensions brewing in the Indo-Pacific and along Himalayan borders, India has found a place that partially provides power projection, resilience, and autonomy as well. A possible agreement on technology transfer may strengthen the domestic AMCA initiative of India and its entry into the world as an international manufacturer of weapons. Receiving the supply of 5th-gen fighters might therefore be a military as well as a military-industrial capability advancement, defining the place of the future geopolitics of India.
