Su-57E Production In India: The plan to build Russia’s Su-57E stealth fighter in India is now in the hands of the Indian government, not HAL. During HAL’s Q4 FY26 earnings call on May 15, 2026, the company’s new Chairman and Managing Director, Ravi Kota, said the final call does not belong to the firm. When asked about the jet, he kept it simple and said, “it is the government’s call.”
Russia’s Offer and HAL’s Plant Check
Russia has been trying to sell the Su-57E to India with a big package. The offer is said to include local assembly, full technology transfer, and licensed production. In April 2026, former HAL CMD D.K. Sunil said a Russian team had already checked HAL’s factories. He said, “roughly 50 per cent of the facilities can be used for producing this aircraft, but some new investments will be required.” He also said, “We are awaiting the Russian quotation about the investment.”
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Even with that interest, HAL says it cannot move ahead on its own. The company has made it clear that any step on the Su-57E must come only after formal orders from the Ministry of Defence and top national leaders. That means HAL is ready to take part, but only after the government says yes.
Su-57E
The Su-57E is the export version of Russia’s main stealth fighter. It was built by the Sukhoi Design Bureau and is meant for air combat as well as strike missions. The jet is described as having stealth shape, modern avionics, supercruise ability, internal weapon bays, and sensor fusion so the pilot can see the battle picture more clearly.
Russia’s defence companies, including Rostec and United Aircraft Corporation, have said they are ready to share technology without limits. They want to build on the old India-Russia record of joint work, especially projects like the Su-30MKI. India, however, is also putting money and effort into its own fifth-generation fighter, the AMCA. Reports from 2025 and 2026 say AMCA is still in the prototype and execution stage, and the production path has not been fully fixed yet.
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New Delhi now has a tricky choice. It has to think about the Air Force’s urgent needs, the value of technology transfer, the help it could give Indian industry, and the bigger question of global ties. At the same time, it must not slow down AMCA, which is meant to become India’s own future stealth fighter.
