The 6th-Gen Fighter Programs That Already Locked Out This Country Before It Applied

The 6th-Gen Fighter Programs That Already Locked Out This Country Before It Applied examines why India has not been included in foundational Western next-generation fighter efforts. The article argues that even with the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) and related efforts moving toward integrated “system of systems” development, industrial partnership would require transferring highly sensitive data. It states that India’s longstanding military and industrial reliance on Russia created security concerns and would make full participation difficult. The piece points to the failed Indo-Russian Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft program, which began in 2007 and collapsed in 2018 amid workshare and cooperation disputes over Russia’s Sukhoi T-50/PAK FA prototype. It also cites disputes over how India’s state-owned industrial base was initially expected to contribute more limited manufacturing roles. The article frames India as more likely to remain an export customer than a co-developer for Western sixth-generation systems.