Days after the US sent its F-35 stealth fighters to join the Indian warplanes for Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026, a joint drill at Air Force Station Jodhpur in Rajasthan, a controversy has erupted in Türkiye over Washington’s “contradictory stance” with regard to the stealth aircraft.
According to many Turkish media outlets, the US refused to sell F-35s to Türkiye, citing the country’s purchase and accepted delivery of the Russian-made S-400 Triumf air defense system. Washington argued that operating the F-35 stealth fighter alongside a Russian S-400 system would allow Russian technicians and intelligence platforms embedded with the S-400 to study the F-35's radar signatures, tactical data links, and stealth capabilities.
Interestingly, India too owns owns and operates the Russian S-400 Triumf (locally referred to as the Sudarshan system. It inducted four of the five squadrons from the original $5.43 billion 2018 deal with Russia, with the fifth and final squadron expected by November 2026.
Despite this, the US had no qualms about sending the aircraft to India. The US participation in an exercise in India with F-35s has led to interpretations that there are differing approaches towards the two countries, according to Turkish media Yeni Akit.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reaffirmed that Washington’s legal conditions for transferring F-35 jets to Turkey remain unmet. In an interview with the Greek daily Kathimerini, Rubio said plainly: “Until those conditions are met, the sale cannot go ahead.” The remark resurfaced this week as Turkish officials pressed their case in Washington.
However, despite the planes being in India, Indian officials were not allowed near the aircraft. Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh Indian Air Force Chief AP Singh reacted to the US measures by saying, "You don't even let us get close to the aircraft, and yet you're talking about selling us F-35s."
