My thoughts on the current situation.
Buying off-the-shelf jets won’t immediately solve our capability gaps. The F-35 program already has a massive backlog of orders, and ongoing supply chain issues continue to delay deliveries even for existing customers. We’re not a formal U.S. ally either, so even through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route, the process is anything but quick—it would likely take at least 5–6 years, and possibly 8 years, as seen in the U.S.–Czech Republic deal. Realistically, if we place an order next year,
the first F-35s may not arrive until 2032–2034.
Moreover, pilot training, infrastructure adaptation, and tech transfer negotiations would stretch timelines further.
Even if we opt for the sub-optimal Su-57E with local production, the entire process will still take its sweet time, bogged down by the usual complexities of government-to-government negotiations, technology transfer talks, and setting up production lines. Given Russia’s current economic and geopolitical situation, even maintaining a steady supply chain would be a challenge. Also it will probably come with Chinese components.
The only option we have is to focus on fastracking development of ADs, BVRAAMs,

, CATS, Hypersonic missiles, AMCA etc. Also we need to fastrack Netra mk2. That's all we can do in next 4-5 years.
Feel free to share your thoughts.