F-35A Lightning II to Only Participate as Static Display at Aero India 2025, Aerial Maneuvers Cancelled

The United States Air Force has confirmed that the F-35A Lightning II, a fifth-generation fighter jet, will not be performing flight demonstrations at Aero India 2025.

According to the Air Force's official website and reporting by 'The Hindu,' two F-35s will be present at the air show in Bengaluru, but they will be limited to a static display.

This means visitors will have the opportunity to view the aircraft up close on the ground, but will not witness its aerial capabilities in flight.

This news comes as a shift from initial expectations, as the F-35A has been a highlight of previous international air shows with its impressive flight demonstrations.

The reasons for this change remain unclear, but several factors could be at play. These include operational commitments, logistical challenges, or a strategic decision to emphasize other aspects of the aircraft or accompanying defence technologies.

While the lack of flight demonstrations may disappoint some attendees, the static display still offers a valuable opportunity to examine the F-35's advanced technology. Potential buyers, industry experts, and aviation enthusiasts can scrutinize the aircraft's design features and capabilities at ground level.

The decision to limit the F-35 to a static display also highlights the complexities of international military exhibitions like Aero India, where geopolitical considerations, security concerns, and commercial interests often intersect.

Despite the change in plans, the presence of the F-35 at Aero India 2025 is significant. It underscores the ongoing strategic partnership between India and the United States, particularly in the realm of defence cooperation and technology transfer.

As the Indian Air Force seeks to modernize its fleet, the F-35, even in a static display, remains a point of interest and could influence future procurement decisions.

Aero India 2025 is expected to attract a global audience and showcase cutting-edge aerospace and defence technology from around the world. The event provides a platform for industry leaders, government officials, and defence personnel to engage in discussions and forge partnerships that shape the future of the aerospace and defence sectors.

 

[PKPRS]

All because of SU-57.

 

[sanket]

Ha Ha Ha, because it's not a true 5th gen fighter, it has shortcomings. It will be directly compared with the Su-57 as no other 5th gen is on offer. Only two, F-35 & Su-57.

 

[abhinav srivastava]

It may not be as agile as Su57.

 

[Rinku Pandey]

It may not be as agile as Su57.

True. But F35 is not made to be agile. They have F22 and F15 for that.

 

[sumeet biswas]

What's the fear, huh Uncle Sam?
Why you become a chicken before Su-57?

 

[Akshat]

It may not be as agile as Su57.

Because it's meant to be stealthy with amazing avionics, not to do air shows.

 

[Akshat]

What's the fear, huh Uncle Sam?
Why you become a chicken before Su-57?

Well they have already displayed the plane in 2023 itself. It was Russia which had chickened out so far.

 

[Avada kedavra]

True. But F35 is not made to be agile. They have F22 and F15 for that.

Even the F15 is not that agile compared to the Su-30 or MiG-29s.

NATO never placed emphasis on maneuverability.

 

[Sudha]

Because it's meant to be stealthy with amazing avionics, not to do air shows.

So why they did they make it to 2023 airshow? You mean to say it wasn't stealthy with amazing avionics that time? Or was US lying in 2023?

 

[Anant]

Even the F15 is not that agile compared to the Su-30 or MiG-29s.

NATO never placed emphasis on maneuverability.

Well, there is a case to be made that BVR combat is more suitable than close-quarters dogfighting.

 

[मित्र]

Because it's meant to be stealthy with amazing avionics, not to do air shows.

Another one crashed 😠

 

[मित्र]

Another fanboys' favourite F-35 crashed, marking the 7th crash so far.
That's too much for a single plane in 2-3 years.

 

[Dredd]

What's the fear, huh Uncle Sam?
Why you become a chicken before Su-57?

There is not much to see in the F-35 aerial demo. It's not the most kinematically capable jet, so it wouldn't make a great show compared to jets like the Su-57 or Su-30.

 

[hector1001]

Because it's meant to be stealthy with amazing avionics, not to do air shows.

It flys in every major airshow in the West.
It's no longer a novelty.

 

[PKPRS]

It may not be as agile as Su57.

It’s a known fact, it can’t even Super Cruise, SU-57 can Super cruise at Mach 2 , F22 Super Cruises at Mach 1.5, F-35 is more stealthier, but nowadays more advanced radars are coming out that can detect and engage stealth jets.

 

[PKPRS]

Well, there is a case to be made that BVR combat is more suitable than close-quarters dogfighting.

Russia also have many platforms for BVR Role, they made SU-57 purposely to be in the middle to cover both the roles of 4th and 5th gen.

 

[PKPRS]

Another one crashed 😠

Yes in Alaska.

 

[swatkats_razor]

Another fanboys' favourite F-35 crashed, marking the 7th crash so far.
That's too much for a single plane in 2-3 years.

How many F-35s have been built so far?
If you look at it from that perspective and compare to other contemporary fighter-jets around the world, that should give you real comparative data point.
Looking at the numbers in isolation doesn't do justice to the effort of thousand of scientists and workers involved in production of a trillion dollar platform.

 

[swatkats_razor]

Ha Ha Ha, because it's not a true 5th gen fighter, it has shortcomings. It will be directly compared with the Su-57 as no other 5th gen is on offer. Only two, F-35 & Su-57.

Yeah man, I completely agree with you.
Only AMCA will be the truest 5th Gen and 5.5 Gen Fighter aircraft in the world because it will have "beast mode".

F-35 is actually 4.8736636 Gen fighter.

 

[Enforcer]

It may not be as agile as Su57.

Its no secret that F-35 is not very agile. Not even agile compared to F-16. F-35 was designed to Fight BVR and all the focus was on that.

But doing fancy showman type maneuvers is actually quite bad in dogfighting since Russian Jets typically have bad thrust to weight ratio of the aircraft and when your heavy aircraft stalls after than maneuver, it will start to drop out of the sky rapidly. And your enemy will now have altitude advantage and can come at you from the top.

 

[Enforcer]

Basically they don't want Russians Snooping on their stealth signature while flying. It makes sense. I mean I wouldn't want my secret plane's capability to be learnt by my enemy even if it was just 5%. F-35 is made to stealthily ambush an adversary's air force and ground radars. It makes sense they want to try to preserve the element of surprise till they retire.

 

[Enforcer]

Another fanboys' favourite F-35 crashed, marking the 7th crash so far.
That's too much for a single plane in 2-3 years.

At least whenever they do crash (which is rare), they do an intense and through inquiry down to the last screw and always identify AND FIX the problem regardless of complexity and cost. They are not HAL.