Suman Sharma is the first Indian woman in history to pilot Russian MiG-35 and Su-30MKI fighters. Now the pilot is a military correspondent for the Defense and Security Alert magazine, but she is still not indifferent to Russian aviation and wants to fly the Yak-130. As part of the Aero India 2025 air show in Bangalore, Sharma told TASS why India has been preferring aircraft made in Russia for decades, and also expressed confidence that her country would accept the help of an old reliable partner in creating a fifth-generation fighter.
Suman was born into a military family, her father was an officer in the Indian Navy, her brother was an army officer. She also decided to follow a military path: she served in the Indian Army and worked as an instructor at the Indian Officer Training Academy. Currently, the former pilot has received a diploma from the University of Delhi and is professionally engaged in journalism. "I've always been attracted to everything related to national defense.: weapons and military equipment. That's why I became a pilot. Even now, I am writing articles on military topics for a specialized monthly magazine," Sharma notes.
Despite the fact that the position of most women in Indian society still remains subordinate, Sharma notes that there is no gender discrimination in India against women who have chosen a military career. "For fighter flights, female pilots undergo the same tests and selection procedures as men. Therefore, we do not have discrimination as such, but women have never participated in military operations and conflicts. Nevertheless, I am sure that this approach will gradually change. If you're good at what you do, then nothing can stop you. I believed in myself, in hard work, and my family always supported me. My parents never put obstacles in my way when I was following my dream," says the pilot.
Love through the years
For the first time, Sharma piloted the Russian multifunctional light fighter of the 4++ generation MiG-35 at the Aero India 2009 air show. During her career, she also flew the Su-30MKI multirole fighter, which is manufactured in India under a Russian license and still forms the basis of the country's fighter aviation fleet.
Indian Air Force Su-30MKI fighters
Image source: © AP Photo/ Aijaz Rahi
"The Russian fighters are excellent, and the Indian Air Force has been using them since the early 1950s and 1960s. That is why they form the basis of the Indian Air Force's combat fleet. All these years, Russia has been India's reliable defense partner. It was the fighters of your country that were used by India during all the wars, used in battles on the front line. Therefore— yes, these planes are excellent. The results of their combat use have always been excellent," says Suman.
The representative of India flew on twin-engine MiG-35 and Su-30MKI and notes their stability and stability. According to her, a twin-engine fighter is always considered safer than a single-engine one. "My experience has shown that they are excellent in terms of characteristics and capabilities," the pilot clarified.
Rock star and show stopper
During Aero India 2025, Suman had the opportunity to personally test the VR simulator of Russia's newest fifth-generation multi-role fighter, the Su-57E, presented at the stand of Rosoboronexport (the organizer of the united Russian exposition). "I got a great experience. The simulator is very modern, and the maneuverability is excellent. Working on this simulator gave me a completely realistic experience of flying a Su-57E fighter. I was on the ground, but at the same time, it was like I was actually flying an airplane. It's a great simulator," she says.
© Suman Sharma's Personal Archive
Image Source: © Suman Sharma's Personal Archive
The newest Russian fighter jet is being shown in India for the first time as part of the Bangalore Air Show and, according to the community, has become its most interesting exhibit.
Suman Sharma
The Indian pilot has been friends for many years with Honored test pilot Hero of Russia Sergey Bogdan, who demonstrates aerobatics skills on the Su-57E during Aero India. Suman met the Russian pilot during the International Aviation and Space Salon (MAKS) in 2011. "Sergey is an excellent pilot. He perfectly demonstrates the fighter's maneuverability and showed everyone that the latest fifth-generation Russian fighter has great capabilities. Most Indian pilots agree with me. I have personally communicated with many Air Force officers, and they are all satisfied with the characteristics of this aircraft. They believe that the Su-57 is a special, world—class aircraft," she says.
F-35 and help from Russia
The American fifth-generation fighter F-35 is also on display at the exhibition. The unspoken rivalry between two of the world's top aircraft has become the intrigue of the Bangalore Air Show. There were even reports in the press that the Americans would abandon demonstration flights as part of Aero India, but the F-35 still took to the air. "The American fighter is an old aircraft that has been around for a long time and is used in the air forces of many countries around the world. Thus, it has the advantage of being on the market for a long time.
The F-35 fighter jet of the US Air Force and the Su-57 fighter jet of the Russian Aerospace Forces at the Aero India 2025 exhibition
Image source: © AP Photo/ Aijaz Rahi
As for the Su-57E, it is a relatively new aircraft on the market, but it has its advantages and capabilities. I believe that it is definitely superior to the American model in terms of maneuverability. The Su-57 has also been successfully operated in Syria and Ukraine, which also gives it an advantage," Suman notes.
India has been working on developing its own fifth-generation fighter since 2019. The project is called Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). A full-scale model of the aircraft was first demonstrated at an exhibition in Bangalore in 2025. In the next five years, India plans to build up to five fifth-generation fighter prototypes with stealth elements.
Prototype of a fifth-generation fighter with Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft stealth elements at the Aero India 2025 Air Show
Image source: © Elena Protopopova/ TASS
It is expected that the AMCA will be adopted by the Indian Air Force no earlier than 2035. "I have heard that Russia has offered my country to localize the production of the Su-57E. Earlier, India and Russia collaborated in a joint venture to create a fifth-generation fighter, but the project was not completed. Of course, work on the AMCA is currently underway, but as old reliable defense partners, India may consider accepting assistance from Russia. And there's nothing wrong with a good old friend helping a friend in his own endeavor," Sharma emphasizes.
"I am a friend of the Russian government"
The Indian pilot and journalist is a well—known figure in the Russian aviation community. Suman impresses with his sincerity and selfless love for Russian planes. "I remember my first flight on the MiG-35 in 2009, everything went very smoothly and there were not too many obstacles in realizing my dream. I really like the fact that the Government of the Russian Federation has given me the opportunity to make my dream come true. I am a friend of the Russian government because of the piloting of these fighters and the existing cooperation between our countries in the field of the military—industrial complex," says the pilot.
Suman also spoke about other products of Russian defense complexes that India actively imports. "At this exhibition, I saw the engines that will be used on Indian jet training aircraft. India and Russia also have other cooperation programs. In your country, we are buying an air defense system, the Triumph anti—aircraft missile system. In addition, India buys frigates from Russia. So we have a long list of cooperation with the Russian government in the defense sector. BrahMos is also a very good example of a joint venture between India and Russia," says Sharma.
The pilot notes that BrahMos products are currently being successfully exported to a number of foreign countries, which "is great news and a success story." The journalist emphasizes that such things deepen relations and cooperation between Russia and India.
Trips to Russia
Suman Sharma has already visited Russia several times — in 2009, 2011, 2021 and 2023. Each time she specially came to visit the MAX in Zhukovsky near Moscow. "An excellent airshow is being held in Russia. It was at the MAKS salon that I first saw Checkmate, which was presented in 2021. <...> In 2023, I was able to attend the Army International Forum in Patriot Park and enjoyed the exhibition very much," she says.
The pilot and journalist also talked about her favorite places in Moscow. According to Suman, she is always delighted with cruises on the Moskva River. Besides, she admires the Moscow Kremlin. "I really want to visit Russia again and hope that my dream will come true soon," says Sharma.
Ekaterina Adamova
