US F-35 or Russian Su-57? India weighs its fighter jet options

New Delhi’s decision on next-generation advanced stealth fighters will have to factor in military data leak concerns, analysts say

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The US Air Force’s F-35 fifth-generation fighter aircraft performs at Aero India 2025, a military aviation exhibition held in Bengaluru last Thursday. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:00am, 19 Feb 2025Updated: 8:41am, 19 Feb 2025

India faces a decision that could reshape its defence future. Will it embrace the United States’ offer of the most advanced F-35 stealth fighters, or will it lean on its historic ties with Moscow and opt for Russia’s rival fifth-generation Su-57 instead?

The proposed American sale would represent a huge leap in the capabilities of the Indian Air Force, but analysts said concerns in both Washington and Moscow about military technology leaks could compel New Delhi to pick one over the other.

During a meeting between Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington on Thursday, the US president announced that America would sell F-35 planes to India. If the deal were to go through, India would join an exclusive group of nations with access to the cutting-edge aircraft.

“Starting this year, we’ll be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We’re also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters,” Trump said at a joint news conference.

He did not provide a timeline, but Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri later told reporters that it was just a “proposal” for now.

The announcement follows Moscow’s offer last week to sell its fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 stealth fighters to the Indian Air Force, according to Russian and Indian officials. The aircraft could go into production this year if India accepted the offer, Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said.