Post by : Rameen Ariff

Russian defence experts have stated that the reported sale of RD-93 engines to Pakistan for its JF-17 fighter jets may actually benefit India, dismissing criticism from opposition parties as unjustified. The discussion comes amid concerns over India’s strategic security and Russia’s military cooperation with Pakistan.

Pyotr Topychkanov, head of the Section on New Challenges in South and Southeast Asia at Moscow’s prestigious Primakov Institute, said on Sunday that if reports about Russia supplying RD-93 engines for the JF-17 are correct, India may gain in two ways. “Firstly, it shows that China and Pakistan have not yet been able to replace the Russian-origin engine. Secondly, the new aircraft will remain predictable to India, especially as they share the same engine and India closely monitored the JF-17’s operational use during the May 2025 crisis (Operation Sindoor),” he explained.

Topychkanov further recalled that China had previously requested RD-93 engines from Russia for its FC-17 jets as a temporary measure. The possibility of transferring these engines to Pakistan had been discussed during the tenures of Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Another unnamed Russian defence expert added that the RD-93 engine deal was purely commercial, without a transfer of technology (ToT) to China or Pakistan. India, on the other hand, received licenses for the superior RD-33 engines under ToT. While the RD-93 engine, produced by the Klimov plant, offers higher thrust than the RD-33, its service life is shorter, at 2,200 hours compared to 4,000 hours for the RD-33.

Under a trilateral agreement between Russia, China, and Pakistan, Russia has been supplying fully assembled RD-93 engines since the early 2000s. Pakistan is now reportedly aiming to develop a modified version of the engine, which has not yet been produced.

There has been no official confirmation regarding the sale of new engines to Pakistan.

Meanwhile, political reactions in India have been strong. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh demanded answers from the government, questioning why Russia, once India’s most reliable strategic ally, is providing military support to Pakistan by supplying engines for Chinese-made JF-17 fighter jets.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday responded by calling reports of Russia supplying JF-17 engines to Pakistan “reckless information warfare.” The BJP also criticised Congress for allegedly siding with Pakistan on social media instead of supporting India’s strategic interests.

Experts maintain that the sale of RD-93 engines may not threaten India directly, as it helps India anticipate the capabilities of JF-17 jets and reinforces India’s operational knowledge about this aircraft in case of future conflicts.

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