NEW DELHI – The India Russia joint fifth generation fighter jet productionplan is reaching a dead end as India is likely to quit the project.

Official sources in the Indian government have said no decision could betaken on the long-pending fifth-generation fighter jet project with Russiadue to high cost involved in it.

The cost of the project is very high. It is still under consideration, theysaid.

A high-level committee set up by the government to examine various aspectsof the project had submitted its report last year and the defence ministryis likely to take a call on it soon.

In 2007, India and Russia had inked an inter-governmental pact for the FGFAproject. In December 2010, India had agreed to pay USD 295 million (Rs1,897 crore) towards the preliminary design of the fighter, which is calledin India as the ‘Perspective Multi-role Fighter’.

However, the negotiations faced various hurdles in the subsequent years. InFebruary 2016, India and Russia revived talks on the project after aclearance from the then defence minister Manohar Parrikar.