India Humiliates America by Rejecting F-35 Fighter Jet Offer in Favor of Fifth-Generation Fighter Jet Due to More Attractive Offer
TIMEMOMENTS.COM - A surprising move has been reported, with India rejecting the F-35 fighter jets offered by the United States.
This rejection is a humiliating blow for the United States, as the F-35 is considered the most advanced fifth-generation fighter jet currently available.
Many countries around the world are interested in acquiring the fifth-generation fighter jets produced by the United States.
According to Defence Security Asia, on August 1, 2025, the offer was made during U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to India several months ago.
He personally presented the F-35 offer during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the White House in February 2025.
The U.S. fighter jet was positioned as the foundation for future India-U.S. air cooperation.
However, the Indian side refused to acquire the fifth-generation fighter jet.
Since the fighter jet was offered as a ready-to-use system, India preferred a strategic partnership focused on local defense manufacturing and complete system autonomy.
Additionally, the Indian government has raised concerns over the recent imposition of a 25% tariff by the US on Indian imports.
While not taking retaliatory measures, India has indicated it will seek to enhance trade relations by increasing purchases of US commodities such as liquefied natural gas, telecommunications equipment, and gold.
However, defense equipment is clearly not on that list.
This situation reflects New Delhi's deliberate decision to limit military acquisitions from Washington amid concerns over operational limitations, rising procurement costs, and geopolitical tensions.
The rejection of the F-35 comes as India evaluates strategic calculations to accept Russia's offer of the Su-57E export version of its flagship stealth fighter jet.
Russia not only offers fifth-generation performance but also an unmatched level of integration flexibility compared to its Western counterparts.
Russia's unprecedented offer to grant India full source code access has been described by regional analysts as a disruptive strategy.
Moscow is offering New Delhi the ability to seamlessly integrate domestically produced missiles, electronic warfare systems, and mission computers into the platform.
Such access is seen as a major blow to global defense transactions.
An offer never made by the US for the F-35, nor by France for the Rafale.
“France’s refusal to share source code for critical systems remains a thorny issue for Indian defense planners,” said a senior Indian official.
“Especially as they seek to operationalize indigenous weapon systems across various platforms,” he added.
Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of the Rafale, has long withheld access to critical subsystems such as the Thales RBE2 AESA radar and the Modular Mission Computer, citing intellectual property rights and international export controls.
This limits India's ability to adapt the aircraft to the evolving demands of the battlefield.
***
This rejection is a humiliating blow for the United States, as the F-35 is considered the most advanced fifth-generation fighter jet currently available.
Many countries around the world are interested in acquiring the fifth-generation fighter jets produced by the United States.
According to Defence Security Asia, on August 1, 2025, the offer was made during U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to India several months ago.
He personally presented the F-35 offer during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the White House in February 2025.
The U.S. fighter jet was positioned as the foundation for future India-U.S. air cooperation.
However, the Indian side refused to acquire the fifth-generation fighter jet.
Since the fighter jet was offered as a ready-to-use system, India preferred a strategic partnership focused on local defense manufacturing and complete system autonomy.
Additionally, the Indian government has raised concerns over the recent imposition of a 25% tariff by the US on Indian imports.
While not taking retaliatory measures, India has indicated it will seek to enhance trade relations by increasing purchases of US commodities such as liquefied natural gas, telecommunications equipment, and gold.
However, defense equipment is clearly not on that list.
This situation reflects New Delhi's deliberate decision to limit military acquisitions from Washington amid concerns over operational limitations, rising procurement costs, and geopolitical tensions.
The rejection of the F-35 comes as India evaluates strategic calculations to accept Russia's offer of the Su-57E export version of its flagship stealth fighter jet.
Russia not only offers fifth-generation performance but also an unmatched level of integration flexibility compared to its Western counterparts.
Russia's unprecedented offer to grant India full source code access has been described by regional analysts as a disruptive strategy.
Moscow is offering New Delhi the ability to seamlessly integrate domestically produced missiles, electronic warfare systems, and mission computers into the platform.
Such access is seen as a major blow to global defense transactions.
An offer never made by the US for the F-35, nor by France for the Rafale.
“France’s refusal to share source code for critical systems remains a thorny issue for Indian defense planners,” said a senior Indian official.
“Especially as they seek to operationalize indigenous weapon systems across various platforms,” he added.
Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of the Rafale, has long withheld access to critical subsystems such as the Thales RBE2 AESA radar and the Modular Mission Computer, citing intellectual property rights and international export controls.
This limits India's ability to adapt the aircraft to the evolving demands of the battlefield.
***
Posting Komentar untuk "India Humiliates America by Rejecting F-35 Fighter Jet Offer in Favor of Fifth-Generation Fighter Jet Due to More Attractive Offer"