Following President Vladimir Putin's New Delhi visit, Russia has reportedly approved a Transfer of Technology (ToT) arrangement that will let India manufacture the Su-57E engines. As per the agreement between the two time-tested allies, India will be allowed to integrate its weapons to the system.
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The Izdeliye 177S thrust-vectoring turbofan engines of the Su-57E jets will be manufactured at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Koraput Division in Odisha, the report said. While THE WEEK couldn't independently verify the reports, it is indeed good news for India as it will let the country join an elite group with the industrial capability to develop fifth-generation fighter propulsion indigenously alongside Russia, the United States and China.
Reports available online say that the Izdeliye 177 (Izdeliye 117S) is the specific Russian fighter jet engine model known for high-performance, two-shaft, low-bypass turbofan engine that features thrust-vectoring control (TVC) . It lets the Sukhois perform extreme, low-speed, high angle-of-attack manoeuvres and significantly enhances both survivability and fuel efficiency during deep-penetration missions.
It was reported earlier in November that Russia offered India "unrestricted access" to technology for the new fifth-generation Su-57 stealth fighter jet ahead of Vladimir Putin's visit to New Delhi. Facility audits at the HAL Koraput are slated to begin in early 2026, followed by joint prototype integration in 2028 and full serial production by 2029, the report said. The objective is reportedly synchronising engine availability with anticipated timelines for both Su-57E acquisitions and AMCA Mk-1 flight testing.
India's roadmap for the engine production
The initial production phases will be jointly supervised by India and Russia before HAL is handed absolute autonomy over a period of time as indigenous content thresholds are met, the Defense Security Asia report said. The development is also vital due to the fact that the 177S can ensure fleet-wide benefits by becoming an upgrade for the existing AL-31FP engines on the Indian Air Force's (IAF) Su-30MKI. This can provide a 15–18 per cent thrust increase and extend mean time between overhauls and bring down life-cycle costs.
The reports also underline the fact that Moscow has also agreed "explicitly" to let India's preferred weapon systems, including Astra beyond-visual-range missiles and BrahMos cruise missiles, be integrated into it. Russia will provide India with full production drawings, process documentation, and test-bed methodologies required for local manufacture and life-cycle management of the fifth-generation engine, Defense Security Asia said in a report on Tuesday.
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"Unlike earlier arrangements that compartmentalised sensitive sub-systems, the 177S transfer explicitly includes access to single-crystal turbine blade casting techniques, thermal barrier coatings capable of sustaining turbine inlet temperatures approaching 1,800 degrees Celsius, and digitally integrated FADEC control logic with hydromechanical redundancy. These capabilities are not merely incremental upgrades but foundational technologies that directly feed into India’s parallel ambitions under the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme, where propulsion has long been acknowledged as the critical bottleneck," the report read.