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Russian experts said reports of RD-93 engine sales to Pakistan could actually benefit India, as the move exposes China and Pakistan’s continued reliance on Russian systems.
The RD-93 engine is a variant of the RD-33 used in India’s MiG-29 aircraft (Photo: PTI)
The reported sale of RD-93 engines to Pakistan for integration into the JF-17 will actually benefit Delhi, news agency PTI quoted Russian defence experts as saying on Sunday.
The experts also dismissed as “unjustified” the criticism of the Indian government by the Opposition, and said, “I don’t think the criticism here is justified.”
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“If reports about Russia providing engines for the JF-17 are correct, it actually benefits India in two ways,” Pyotr Topychkanov, who heads the Section on New Challenges in South and Southeast Asia at the prestigious Moscow-based Primakov Institute, told PTI.
“Firstly, it shows that China and Pakistan haven’t yet managed to replace the Russian-origin engine,” Topychkanov said.
“Secondly, the new aircraft will be familiar and predictable to India, especially since they share the same engine and India observed the JF-17’s operational use during the May 2025 crisis (Operation Sindoor),” he added.
Topychkanov recalled that China had requested Russia to supply RD-93 engines for its FC-17 jet as a stop-gap measure, and the possibility of its transfer to Pakistan was flagged by the NDA and UPA governments at the time of prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr Manmohan Singh.
However, another expert, who did not wish to be named, was quoted as saying that he vaguely remembers discussions on the issue.
“Moscow convinced New Delhi that the RD-93 deal was purely commercial without transfer of technology (ToT), while India was given licence for much superior RD-33 engines under ToT,” the expert said.
RD-93, produced by the Klimov plant, in comparison to its base RD-33’s, has more thrust but decreased service life. RD-93 has a service life of 2,200 hours, while RD-33’s is 4,000 hours.
Under a trilateral Russia-China-Pakistan agreement, Russia has been supplying fully assembled RD-93 engines since the early 2000s. Pakistan is now aiming for a modified version, which is not yet developed.
While there was no official statement about the sale, a media report on Saturday suggested that Russia has dismissed such circulations, and said there was no confirmation on whether it is providing RD-93MA engines to Pakistan for integration into the JF-17 Thunder Block III fighter jets.
Quoting a Russian source, the report said Russia has dismissed reports of Moscow proceeding with the supply of RD-93MA engines to Pakistan.
Earlier on Saturday, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had demanded answers from the government on why India’s “once most reliable strategic ally”, Russia, is providing military support to Pakistan by supplying engines of Chinese-made JF-17 fighter jets.
The BJP on Sunday termed reports about Russia proceeding with the supply of JF-17 jet engines to Pakistan a “reckless information warfare” and slammed the Congress for raising the issue on social media, accusing it of choosing the “side of the enemy” instead of India.
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About the Author
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
October 06, 2025, 08:31 IST
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