Russia's refusal to share vital technology with India has doomed India's cherished project of developing its very own fifth generation stealth fighter.

This and Russia's growing unease at the growing military ties between India and the United States.

India's Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) project was to have been developed and produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) with technical assistance from the Sukhoi Company at the HAL facility in Nashik at an estimated cost of $25 billion.

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"The agreement has been completed on our end; we are ready to sign it. It is now down to the Indian side. There are some formalities to figure out, but I think it will be signed by the end of this year (2016)," said Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Russian weapons maker Rostech Corporation.

There was no contract signing in 2016.

At the time, Chemzov noted the project "will produce a state of the art fighter jet, and it will be the result of the work on Russia's most modern technology done by both Russian and Indian engineers. As fifth generation, it means fifth generation speed, ballistics and military equipment, avionics and stealth capabilities among other qualities."

With Russia dragging its heels, the fate of FGFA -- now known as the Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF) -- hangs in the balance, and might well be doomed.

India is frustrated by Russia's refusal to share critical but secret aircraft technology. India also demands a full-scale transfer of technology to boost its indigenous fighter-manufacturing capabilities.

Equally important, India wants a guarantee Russia will upgrade PMF in the future. This means Russia must share the source codes that control the fighter's multiple systems with India, and Russia in the past has shown no intention of doing so.

The FGFA/PMF project has been set back by repeated delays since the start of the project in 2007. In 2015, Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar decided to make one last push toward reaching an agreement with Russia. This effort went nowhere.

TagsRussia, Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) project, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Sukhoi Company, fifth generation stealth fighter, Perspective Multi-role Fighter