America's top-of-the-line combat plane F-35 isn't a viable option for India, considering it would impinge on the country's sovereignty and strategic autonomy due to the strict conditions linked to US defence programs, a retired Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force M Matheswaran told Sputnik India.
In comparison with F-35, Su-57 is a more attractive proposition because conditionalities concerning technology transfer and domestic production will not be a major issue with Russia, whereas with respect to the F-35, the US has very stringent end-user terms, which would not be acceptable to India, Matheswaran stated.
"The F-35 will constrain India's freedom of action regarding its operationalisation. Additionally, the US will not agree to produce it in India and will only offer aircraft manufactured there. In case, it does agree to manufacture it locally, the technology transfer and control will pose major problems. Therefore, the F-35 is not a viable option for the IAF at all," he stressed.
Undoubtedly, cost would be an important factor, but there are many other determinants that will decide the fate of the Su-57 or F-35 in India, he added. While the F-35 is significantly more expensive than the Su-57 on a per-unit basis, it is essential to consider the life-cycle cost over a span of 20 to 40 years, the IAF veteran underscored.
The F-35 is widely believed to be the most expensive warplane on the planet, with a single unit of valued between $80 to $110 million. Interestingly, this price does not include the weapons package necessary to arm these fighters according to the IAF's requirements.
Apart from this, additional expenses related to upgrades, spares, and maintenance are also a factor, further driving up the F-35's life-cycle costs.
In contrast, the unit cost of the Russian stealth fighter is estimated to be between $35-40 million. The overall life-cycle cost of the Felon is expected to be around $70-80 million if it is license-produced in India.
"The F-35 is certainly more expensive and there are many more complexities involved in terms of maintenance support and other areas," Matheswaran asserted.
Besides, India has to focus on indigenous development of multiple variants of the Tejas with the LCA Mark 2 set to become the Air Force's main aircraft and its naval version which is called the Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) and the AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft), which is India's maiden stealth and 5.5 generation warplane, he stated.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has already invested a lot of effort and it should continue to accelerate the development of these aircrafts, he said. At the same time, as part of its move to acquire 110 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA), India should only procure the fighter jet that meets the condition of being manufactured within the country, the defence analyst emphasised.
"My recommendation would be that the agency that gets selected must be inducted as a risk-sharing partner which means that there is accountability on all agencies who are partners in that fifth-generation fighter aircraft program on the success or the failure of the program," Matheswaran stated.
Russia offers very attractive cost benefits and significant access to technology transfer and joint-venture developments in the AMCA subsequently and all these factors will play a role if the Su-57 is to be considered for acquisition, he pointed out.
The observer believes that India will not take the F-35 bait despite the buzz of growing US pressure regarding a potential agreement between the two democracies.
"I do not doubt that India can withstand the pressure that has been exerted on the PM Modi government by the Trump administration. After all, the fighter aircraft program is a very strategic issue and India doesn't want some other country coming inside and forcing itself on us and messing up with the systems of the IAF. I don't think that is going to happen," Matheswaran concluded.