Two weeks ago, after a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump announced during a joint press conference that India would purchase defense equipment from the U.S. under a defense agreement and that the U.S. would also sell its most advanced fighter jets, the F-35, to India. Trump's statement was hailed in the Indian media as a breakthrough in U.S.-India defense relations. However, the opposition and several defense experts viewed it. The offer of F-35 jets. Was a form of pressure from the U.S., raising questions about the fighter jet's suitability for the Indian Air Force. Notably, before Modi's visit to the U.S., India had not expressed any interest in purchasing the F-35. According to defense analysts, Trump's offer appears to be unilateral. After Modi’s visit, India’s Foreign Secretary. Vikram Misri, stated in a press conference, "This is currently just a proposal. No discussions on purchasing have taken place. Procuring fighter jets is a long process involving multiple stages before any decision is made. At this stage, it is merely a suggestion..." Since this offer has come directly from the U.S. President, several analysts interpreted Trump's tone as implying that India would have no choice but to buy the aircraft.
After President Trump’s statement about offering F-35 fighter jets to India. An old tweet by his advisor and close associate, Elon Musk, resurfaced and was widely shared on Indian social media. In the tweet, Musk had criticized the production of pilot-operated fighter jets like the F-35. In a post on X in November 2024, Elon Musk stated, "Some American war weapons are good, but they are extremely expensive. Please shut down the outrageously costly F-35 program." In India, many questions are being raised regarding this issue. Opposition leader Randeep Singh Surjewala from the Congress party has posed several questions to the Modi government regarding purchasing F-35 jets. He asked whether the Indian Air Force was consulted before deciding on acquiring the F-35. He further questioned whether Prime Minister Modi was aware that President Trump’s senior-most advisor, Elon Musk, had previously referred to this fighter jet as "junk." He also wanted to know if Modi was informed that the F-35 is the world's most expensive fighter jet, with a single unit costing approximately $110 million. On the other hand, Lockheed Martin, the company manufacturing the F-35 jets, issued a statement saying, "We are pleased with President Trump's recent announcement regarding the potential sale of F-35s to India. Lockheed Martin is fully prepared to implement the decisions made by both governments." The F-35 has three variants: A, B, and C. The F-35A is designed for conventional takeoff and landing, and India would likely focus on this version if a purchase takes place. So far, 19 countries have either purchased or signed agreements to acquire the F-35 from the U.S. Most of these are NATO allies or strategic partners like Israel, South Korea, Japan, and Australia.
Defense expert Pravin Sawhney stated that there are three key aspects regarding this. The F-35 in India's case. The first is that whether the F-35 is a good aircraft or not should be decided by the Indian Air Force, not by Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the Prime Minister's Office. It is up to the Indian Air Force to determine whether this fighter jet would be suitable for them in a war scenario. According to Pravin Sawhney, the second point is that if India buys this aircraft, it will acquire only a limited number because it would require setting up a new production line, significantly increasing maintenance and logistics costs for the Air Force. The third and most crucial point, he said, is that The U.S. cannot be India's defense partner in fighter jets the way Russia and France are. In the future, the U.S. can impose restrictions on the use of this aircraft whenever it wants, and India will not be able to do anything about it. If India deploys the American aircraft in a location where the U.S. disapproves, it could block its use or halt the supply of spare parts. Essentially, there will be several conditions attached to the use of this jet.
Defense analyst Rahul Bedi states that. The F-35 is currently considered the best fighter jet in the world. But it may be too advanced for India. There are two major issues with it. First, it is extremely expensive—the cost of a single F-35 ranges between $80 million and $110 million, which amounts to over ₹1,000 crore in Indian currency. Second, its operational cost is very high—a single hour of flight costs around $36,000 (over ₹30 lakh). He explains that while experts agree that. The F-35 is the most advanced and stealthiest fighter jet in the world. Senior Indian Air Force (IAF) officials believe it is not essential for them. This is because the IAF needs a larger number of fighter jets, and a small fleet of F-35s will not fulfill that requirement. Indian defense experts say it is still undecided whether India, if it purchases the F-35, would acquire one squadron or two to three squadrons. However, if India goes ahead with the purchase, a significant portion of the Air Force's budget and resources will be consumed by these aircraft because acquiring, maintaining, and developing the necessary infrastructure for them would be a very expensive endeavor. Currently, the. Indian Air Force operates seven different types of fighter aircraft. This means that the IAF needs seven different servicing, spare parts, maintenance, and overhaul systems. Additionally, separate pilot training programs are required for each type of aircraft. Experts warn that if India buys the F-35, it will become the eighth type of aircraft in the fleet, increasing the burden on the Air Force. As a result, the IAF would face severe financial and operational pressure.
It is important to note that the F-35 is a fifth-generation aircraft, and currently, India does not possess any fifth-generation fighter jets. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is supposed to have approximately 42 squadrons of fighter aircraft, but at present, it has only 29 to 30 squadrons, meaning there is a shortfall of at least 12 to 13 squadrons. To bridge this gap, India is currently relying on the domestically produced Tejas light combat aircraft. On the other hand, the United States is looking to expand its defense industry and sees India as a key market due to its ongoing military modernization process, which requires significant defense equipment. Rahul Bedi explains that it was actually President Trump who suggested that India should acquire the F-35. He emphasizes that India has never expressed any interest in purchasing. The F-35. For the past five years, India has had an open contract for acquiring 114 fighter jets, considering options from French and Russian aircraft, as well as three American fighter jets. However, no final decision has been made yet. According to Bedi, it’s not just the F-35 that the U.S. wants India to buy. President Trump also wants India to purchase a defense package, which includes:
This defense deal is something the U.S. wants India to accept.
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