Russia and India Close to Sealing Fifth-Generation Fighter Deal
India and Russia were close to a joint fifth-generation fighter deal in 2010 — up to 300 aircraft based on Sukhoi's T-50.
News of the planned accord followed talks between Russia's Sukhoi and India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in early 2010 to jointly develop a jet dubbed PAK FA, RIA Novosti reported on 27 October.
Russia and India agreed to develop a single-seat and a two-seat version of the aircraft by 2016, probably based on the T-50 prototype fifth-generation fighter expected to be in service with the Russian air force in 2015, the report added.
In October, India's Defence Minister A K Antony confirmed that a deal to jointly design, develop and produce up to 300 FGFA was imminent. In a statement by the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on 7 October, Antony said the FGFA would be jointly developed during the next decade.
Read the original Defense Industry Daily report
What happened next: the deal never fully closed. Cost overruns, technology-transfer disagreements, and India's growing interest in other fifth-generation options stalled the program, and India formally withdrew from the FGFA project in 2018 — leaving the 2010 enthusiasm as a reminder of how defence collaborations age.
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