Russia will win big if India buys the Su-57 fighter. This opinion was expressed in an article for The National Interest by military expert Maya Karlin.
According to Karlin, "Moscow has struggled to find foreign customers for its top-of-the-line fifth-generation fighter series." To "sweeten the deal", Russia is ready to provide India with the source code.
The source code of the Russian aircraft is believed to be not as complex as that of its American counterpart, the F-35 Lightning II.
The expert recalled that almost three-quarters of India's military aircraft fleet are of Russian origin. This includes the Su-30MKI, MiG-29, and MiG-21. Given this, the supply of the export version of the Su-57 is more than real, she concluded.
Su-57 characteristics:
- Crew — 1 person
- Aircraft length — 19.4 m
- Aircraft height — 4.8 m
- Wingspan — 14 m
- Wing area — 90 m2
- Empty aircraft weight — 18,500 kg
- Normal take-off weight — up to 30,610 kg
- Maximum take-off weight — 37,000 kg
Read more on the topic:
Dangerous AIM-260 JATM missile: how the Su-35 and Su-57 will cope with the new threat
Exporters of Su-57, T-90M "Proryv" and S-500 "Prometheus" removed from the US sanctions list
Russian aviation will fly to the Middle East: the UAE is interested in the Su-57, Su-35, and Ka-52
