'F-35s will give IAF strength to protect India's air space like never before': JD Vance renews stealth jet pitch

United States Vice President J.D. Vance, who is on a four-day visit to India, made another pitch for the possible sale of the fifth-generation stealth multi-role fighter F-35, developed by Lockheed Martin, to India saying it would be beneficial for India to buy more defence equipment from the US.

Vance's offer comes a few weeks after US President Donald Trump made a similar verbal offer during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US. "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," Trump had then said. The offer had come after the F-35 participated in the biennial air show Aero India in February, where the Russian fifth-generation aircraft Su-57 too showcased its prowess.

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Calling for a deeper India-US defence collaboration, Vance said the US feels that India has much more to gain from its continued defence partnership with the US. Currently, Russia is India's biggest defence partner, followed by France and the US.

"We, of course, want to collaborate more, we want to work together more and we want your nation to buy more of our military equipment, which of course we believe is the best in class," Vance said.

He said American fifth-generation F-35s, for example, would give the Indian Air Force (IAF) the ability to defend India's airspace and protect its people like never before, making a strong case for the fighter jet.

The pitch comes even as Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh had recently said the IAF is yet to give a thought to the procurement of F-35s. “We need to analyse it carefully, what the requirements are and what comes along with it. The cost is also a part of it. It is not like a washing machine or refrigerator for home that we can buy just by the looks of it," he had said.

Defence