Considering their wars with Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Europe plus a shadow war with the US plus Africa, they seem stretched a little thin.
Am I stupid or does Russia not have any jets to sell?
my understanding is they don't frequently scramble enough jets for their operational needs less because they lack the physical equipment but more that they lack the trained staff to maintain and pilot the jets they have. i'd bet, too, india is less interested in buying complete jets from russia and more interested in buying licenses to build jets based on russian plans
Am I stupid or does Russia not have any jets to sell?
Currently, Russia's needs are for fast 'missile trucks', aircraft that can carry large amounts of missiles, especially air-to-ground missiles, to fire from a good distance from the front lines (and enemy anti-air). The Ukrainian air force is not in a position to seriously contest the skies, but Ukrainian anti-air makes it difficult for heavier, slower Russian aircraft to operate without being shot down.
India, whose primary concerns are Pakistan and China, needs a wide variety of aircraft, including air-to-air fighters, which Russia is not currently in need of.
Military production lines generally don't shut down completely unless the design is being phased out completely - even if Russia needed zero fighters in an immediate sense, for example, production would continue at a low level to maintain people with the skills to continue making the equipment.
That being said, India might want to double-check any electronics in purchased Russian equipment, lmao.
India is seeking 5th generation equipment, meaning SU-57. Russia is not able to build these in any quantity right now, and there are reports they contain Western components which are probably very hard to get because of sanctions.
This, to me, suggests any delivery of jets would have to be years after Russia fails in its war on Ukraine.
Considering the performance of Russian equipment, India would be smart to look for a cut-rate deal.
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