In 2018, India had told Russia India would not be part of the project to develop a Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), but would not be opposed to purchasing the fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter aircraft Sukhoi Su-57, known by its NATO reporting name "Felon."
Russia has been actively trying to revoke India's interest in Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet after India withdrew from FGFA programme. India reportedly remains disinterested, investing heavily on the 'make in India' fifth-generation advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) programme instead. Russia has been claiming that it has made significant improvements in Su-57's stealth and design capabilities, areas that the India Air Force (IAF) had expressed reservations about, in a bid to attract India.
READ MORE: China's most advanced missile DF-41: How this ICBM helps Beijing enhance its nuclear dominance
Meanwhile, there have been reports that said as China is expanding its fleet of J-20 stealth jets, and Pakistan appears to have evinced interest in the Chinese FC-31 stealth fighter, India sees Su-57 or the new Su-75 Checkmate as a stopgap measure until its AMCA is ready, which is likely to be by 2028.
However, it now appears that Russia's efforts to ramp up Su-75 fighter jets may have hit a roadblock according to open-source research group Frontelligence Insight. This is because owing to the sanctions imposed by the West, Russia has been finding it difficult to procure key components for the fighter jet.
"It's clear that Russia's military industry heavily depends on Western components, particularly in electronics," Frontelligence Insight said, adding that the Western sanctions have put the production of Su-57 "in jeopardy."
Some of the components that Russia is finding hard to acquire include WA36 attenuator and the PLR7 60-12 and EA-PS 3150 power supplies, which are specialized electronic components used in various applications.
ALSO READ: US worried about growing cooperation between Russia and China in the Arctic
Business Insider quoted a source as saying, "There is no question that Western sanctions are having an impact on Russia's ability to generate its most sophisticated military systems."
While Su-75 fighter jets were inducted into the Russian military in 2020, they are few in number and were largely missing in action during Russia's war against Ukraine.
