Lockheed Martin, which makes the F-35 jet, did not immediately comment on Trump's statement

Lockheed Martin, which makes the F-35 jet, did not immediately comment on Trump's statement

Lockheed Martin, which makes the F-35 jet, did not immediately comment on Trump's statement

US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to step up military sales, which will see India buying weapons worth billions of dollars from the US. 

"We'll be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We're also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters," Trump told reporters on Thursday after his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Trump's statement comes as India aims to procure more weapons from the US, including advanced P-8I long-range maritime patrol and submarine-hunting aircraft. India has also signed a pact with the US to buy over $20 billion of weapons, including 31 MQ-9B SeaGuardian and SkyGuardian drones.

Russia too has expressed interest in selling India its fifth-generation Su-57 stealth fighters.

Though the US President's statement comes as a shot in the arm, he did not provide a timeline for when it will happen. For a cutting-edge technology like the stealthy F-35 jet, it typically takes years to work through. 

Though Lockheed Martin, which makes the F-35 jet, did not immediately comment on Trump's statement, the sale of advanced jets like the F-35 is considered government-to-government deals. In these deals, the Pentagon is an intermediary between the defence contractor and a foreign government.

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