US paving way to ultimately sell F-35 fighter jets to India, says Donald Trump

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump held a joint press conference at the White House after holding bilateral talks.

In a major defence development, the United States has announced plans to provide India with F-35 stealth fighter jets.

“Starting this year, we will be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We are also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 Stealth fighters. In 2017, my administration revived the Quad security partnership, and in our meeting today, the PM and I reaffirmed the strong cooperation between the US, India, Australia and Japan, and it is crucial really to maintain peace, prosperity, tranquillity in the Indo-Pacific,” said President Trump.

The announcement reflected India’s growing defence ties with the USA.  Both the countries seek to bolster security cooperation in an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and  Trump held a joint press conference at the White House after holding bilateral talks.

What are  F-35  jets?

The F-35 Lightning II, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is one of the world’s most advanced multirole stealth fighters, used by several nations for various air combat missions. The F-35 comes in three variants: the F-35A (conventional take-off and landing), the F-35B (short take-off and vertical landing), and the F-35C (carrier-based).

It alsorecently  made a high-profile appearance at the 15th edition of Aero India, Asia's largest aerospace and defence exhibition, held at Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru. With its sophisticated technology, the F-35 was designed to be a revolutionary leap in aerial warfare, offering advanced stealth, sensor fusion, and unprecedented combat versatility, according to reports. However, it has faced repeated scrutiny for its high operating costs and persistent technical issues, particularly with its software.

Countries like Germany, Poland, Finland, and Romania have recently inked deals to acquire the aircraft, reported Economic Times.

How will these jets help India?

With the acquisition of the F-35 stealth fighters, India’s air force will move a step forward to modernise itself. Traditionally, India has always relied on a mix of Western and Russian defence technology, India’s shift towards acquiring cutting-edge American military equipment would strengthen its defence strategy.

Apart from marking a milestone in its relationship with the USA, the deal will strengthen  India's aerial capabilities and reinforce its role as a key player in regional security.

Why Musk slammed these jets?

Last year, tech billionare Elon Musk launched a tirade against Pentagon's modern fighter jets, F-35, saying that drones were the future of air combat. “The F-35 design was broken at the requirements level because it was required to be too many things to too many people. This made it an expensive & complex jack of all trades, master of none. Success was never in the set of possible outcomes,” Musk stated on X.

In another post, he shared a video of drones flying in coordinated formation.  "Meanwhile, some idiots are still building manned fighter jets like the F-35," he said on X.