India Willing to Consider F-35 Fighter Jets Acquisition from US if Formal Proposal is Presented, Says Defence Secretary

India is open to considering the acquisition of F-35 fighter jets from the United States if a formal proposal is submitted, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh announced on Monday.

Singh clarified that while the US President had indicated a willingness to provide India with the advanced aircraft during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit, this did not constitute a formal offer.

He emphasized that India would examine the proposal with an "open mind" once it is officially presented. Any potential acquisition would be subject to India's established procurement processes and budgetary considerations, he added.

The Defence Secretary highlighted that India has allocated a substantial budget for defense acquisitions, amounting to Rs 1,80,000 crore for the upcoming financial year and Rs 1,60,000 crore for the current year.

These funds are intended to be utilized for various procurements, including fighter planes, submarines, and missiles, although specific details will be revealed only after the completion of the procurement process.

During Prime Minister Modi's US visit, the US President expressed intentions to increase defense sales to India, including potentially providing access to the F-35 stealth fighter.

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a fifth-generation fighter aircraft known for its advanced stealth capabilities, sensor fusion, and network-enabled operations. It is currently operated by several countries, including the United States and some of its NATO allies.

The potential acquisition of F-35s would significantly enhance India's air power capabilities and contribute to modernizing its armed forces.

 

[Col Jai Govind ( Retd)]

Notwithstanding the cost. We must consider buying this as it puts maximum psychological ascedency over PAF and PLAAF. This issue is critical in winning wars and achieving Stategic restraint on adversaries.

 

[Ammoman]

What a fool the defence minister is. I guess you just need to show him a new shiny toy and he will want it. That's why Indian procurement is a sham.

 

[P2S2]

What a fool the defence minister is. I guess you just need to show him a new shiny toy and he will want it. That's why Indian procurement is a sham.

It's worked so far. The ball is in Trumps court. He can sit on his hands while the F35 loses its edge and becomes a liability or he can rope in Indian manpower to save America's ass. India offers decent people who don't want to blow up others it can supply workers who don't steal know how and harm you. It can provide economical maintenance for sky rocketing maintenance costs of old technologies. Its a win win for Trump but he needs to sign quickly before he loses another ally. India can afford to sit and sort out the apples. Sometimes muddiness saves the day. Caution is necessary.

 

[Ammoman]

It's worked so far. The ball is in Trumps court. He can sit on his hands while the F35 loses its edge and becomes a liability or he can rope in Indian manpower to save America's ass. India offers decent people who don't want to blow up others it can supply workers who don't steal know how and harm you. It can provide economical maintenance for sky rocketing maintenance costs of old technologies. Its a win win for Trump but he needs to sign quickly before he loses another ally. India can afford to sit and sort out the apples. Sometimes muddiness saves the day. Caution is necessary.

If India buys 110 F-35s, the life cycle cost will be $80 billion. India can't afford it, plus it is not compatible with India's network protocols. It would cost 10s of billions more to fix that. It would be 10 years before we see the first delivery. Every country that has bought them already regret it. The availability is less than 50%. We would have to contract US companies for maintenance. The US could and would use leverage against India if we were dumb enough to buy the F35.