'Su-57E can bridge the gap until AMCA comes': Ex-IAF officer backs Russian option amid Pakistan's J-35 move

As Pakistan reportedly gears up to induct two squadrons of China's fifth-generation J-35 fighter jets by the end of this year, a former Indian Air Force officer has proposed an interim solution: acquiring Russia's Su-57E until India's indigenous stealth fighter AMCA becomes operational.

"With reports of Pakistan acquiring two squadrons of J-35s from China by year-end, procuring 2 to 3 squadrons of Su-57E from Russia could be an interim option for us bridging the gap until AMCA is operational," Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor, a former officer of the Indian Air Force, wrote on X. 

His remark came after reports that Rosoboronexport, Russia's state-owned defence exports agency, had offered to partner with India on the Su-57E fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA). 

However, former IAF chief RKS Bhadauria recently suggested that India should not go for any import and that it should focus on AMCA. "My answer is - No," he said while speaking to India Today when asked if India should consider importing fifth-generation fighter jets in the interim — especially as Pakistan is likely to acquire China's J-20 or even J-35.

"Now, the government has put its faith in AMCA, and now we need to do everything as a nation to expedite AMCA," Bhadauria said. He acknowledged the stealth edge Pakistan may gain in the near term but said there are other ways to neutralise that threat. "That cause of concern in terms of what Pakistan is going to get from China in the interim — be it J-20 or J-35 — let them get these. That will be studied. What is important is in the interim how do you handle these threats and there are ways and means of tackling this threat that they will have."

Bhadauria added that India must focus on building a robust air defence response and better detection capabilities. "In terms of stealth capability Pakistan is likely to get before us, we'll have to take some other measures in order to be able to detect by some means, to be able to still hold them off our borders much inside so that they are unable to launch. And should they be able to launch their cruise missiles or their standoff weapons, we are able to tackle the weapons."

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently cleared a new execution model for the AMCA programme. Under the model, the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) will partner with private or public companies through competitive bids. HAL will no longer be the default manufacturing partner and will compete with firms like Tata, Adani, and L&T.

The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft project formally entered the full-scale engineering development phase in April 2023 after clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). A ten-year development roadmap includes five prototypes and extensive flight testing, with the first prototype expected by 2028. If timelines hold, seven squadrons of AMCA are likely to be inducted starting 2035.