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Russia will still have two major customers even if we don't go for it: Algeria and Vietnam. They, along with two new ones namely Saudi and the UAE. Putin just visited both of these countries. Saudi and UAE want to ensure greater defence autonomy as they had very negative experiences with the US...

It is a tempting offer and joining the Russians and Emiratis would make strategic sense. But the biggest problem in such projects is Russia unilaterally taking all the decisions while thinking that others would bankroll them. Ideally, partner countries should all have standardized production...

The availability rate desired is stated by the IAF, not me. I am not nitpicking and could not be bothered as far as the country is safe and secure. Most countries that receive Russian weapons are countries that are either partly sanctioned, dictatorships, or countries with limited-to-no...

No one is talking about the current and past inventory. Russian weapons helped us win wars and dismantle the US-UK narrative that they are invincible and are still potent platforms in the hands of a well-trained force. But it has been established that defence equipment from Russia have a...

The overhaul cycles on Russian jets is way too short even with the latest improvements. The IAF has always had higher operating costs not due to the platform itself but due to the maintenance that it requires. Su-30 MKI was a success only after it was de-russified in as many ways as possible...

Russia needs development partners and an attitude adjustment. Turning us away was a disaster for their Su-57 program from a financing perspective. Su-75 will need takers but given the CAATSA scare everywhere, even traditional customers may not consider it except a handful. Too much concept art...

What about the maintenance? Russian stuff costs cheap up-front but adding life-cycle costs makes them really bad. Remember, they have to export arms in a market where half the world fears sanctions and the other half is firmly in Anglo/American hands. We are the only country that just picks and...

All radars can track F-35s? Then what's the point in them being called stealth? I know low signature and all, but let me put this straight; Israel had to tell Russia that they would invade Syria if a single Israeli F-35 was shot down after the Turkish blunder of shooting down a Russian jet...

Then why is there so much panic against Su-35? 3 decades is a little too far by your estimates. Stealth would mean squat if Russians develop radars that can track F-35s. There are already unverified reports of S-400s tracking F-35s in Syria. These are refuted by Western sources, but after...

India was a neutral country from the first day. But the then political short-sightedness resulted in misplaced priorities and therefore India had little option but to go for Soviet weaponry. Remember in 1962 war Chicha requested US to help with arms. The response was that we were soft on commies...

Actually, the Su-75 will most likely see funding from Turkey. Remember that the entire S-400 game that's being played between Washington and Ankara is going to explode sooner than later. F-35 is out of the picture and TAI TF-X is still on the drawing board. The Turks are currently negotiating...