F-35 for India? 'US didn't even let Indian Air Force near it': IAF Chief's humorous response to US fighter jet offer
He clarified that contrary to reports, India has not received an official offer for the F-35 from the United States
Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh humorously responded during the Tarang Shakti-2026 exercise that US personnel do not allow Indian forces near the F-35 stealth fighter, while clarifying that no official purchase offer has been made.
Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh humorously responded during the Tarang Shakti-2026 exercise that US personnel do not allow Indian forces near the F-35 stealth fighter, while clarifying that no official purchase offer has been made.
Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh humorously responded during the Tarang Shakti-2026 exercise that US personnel do not allow Indian forces near the F-35 stealth fighter, while clarifying that no official purchase offer has been made.
Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh on Saturday took a humorous dig at the United States over its F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft, saying that US Air Force personnel did not even allow Indian personnel near the jet.
The remark came during a press conference on the sidelines of the concluding ceremony of the multinational air exercise Tarang Shakti-2026 in Jodhpur, where the US F-35 is participating for the first time.
Sitting alongside the commander of the US Air Force's Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), Singh was asked about reports suggesting that the United States had offered the advanced fighter aircraft to India.
"Your people don't even let us go near the aircraft, and you are talking about selling it to us," the IAF chief quipped.
The humorous response came as Singh clarified that India had not received any official offer from the United States for the F-35 fighter aircraft.
The participation of the American stealth fighter in Tarang Shakti-2026 has brought the aircraft into focus amid discussions about India's future combat aircraft requirements.
Singh also addressed questions about the possibility of India acquiring Russia's fifth-generation Su-57 fighter aircraft.
He acknowledged that the IAF was aware of a Russian offer but clarified that no decision had been made on whether the aircraft should be evaluated.
According to Singh, the IAF would assess the Su-57's suitability only after receiving a decision from the government.
"Once the decision is conveyed to us (by the government), we will evaluate how well it (Su-57) meets our requirements," he said.
The discussion comes as India continues to assess its future combat aircraft requirements while pursuing the development of an indigenous fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
The domestic programme forms part of India's long-term efforts to strengthen self-reliance in defence manufacturing and develop advanced combat aviation capabilities.