No F-35 for India

The Indian Defense Secretary on Wednesday dismissed the possibility of India planning the acquisition of a fifth generation fighter aircraft, alternate to the Russian PAK FA.

Pradeep Kumar, who is the top civil servant in the Ministry of Defense told reporters on Wednesday that, while the agreement for design and development of the PAK FA is expected to come through with Russia, after the Indian Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approves the details, “You can’t have two types (of fifth generation fighters).

Pointing out that the US was, even now, working on the development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Kumar categorically repeated, “There is no question of having two fighters.”

The Indian Navy, in a Request for Information (RFI) for carrier-borne fighter aircraft issued last year, had asked for information on the F-35 from the US defense and aerospace major, Lockheed Martin. The company, along with other vendors, had made presentations on the aircraft to the navy, but presumably, the idea of acquiring the F-35 has gone no further than that.

The Defense Secretary also ruled out the possibility of acquiring any of the embattled British Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, one of which will not carry fighter aircraft and is to be mothballed three years after commissioning. “Why would we buy one?” he asked, adding that India was on track with its aircraft carrier program.

Speaking on the upcoming visit of President Barack Obama to India, he indicated the Ministry of Defense to be still studying the issue of signing agreement like the Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA), Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) and Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) with the US, saying, “Our people should also feel it should benefit us.”

India is contemplating the purchase of 10 C-17 Globemaster III aircraft for USD 5.8 billion, six additional C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, in addition to the six already ordered for over a billion dollars, and four additional P-8I long range maritime aircraft for over a billion US dollars, in addition to the eight already on order for USD 2.2 billion. Besides this, India is conducting trials for the purchase of the BAE Systems-built M777 Ultra Light Howitzer through the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) route.

  8 comments for “No F-35 for India

  1. blackpearl
    July 8, 2011 at 10:38 am

    it is not that india has already signed fifth generation deal with russia(sukhoi T-50 pakfa/HAL FGFA) also it is much cheaper than f35….

  2. Jkumar663
    May 28, 2011 at 10:57 am

    f-35 is a most powerfull fighter .so indian goverment deal to f-35 . is must important for IAF and indan NAVY …..

  3. Satchandrag
    October 24, 2010 at 8:33 pm

    India’s nigger-slave, traitor service chiefs who are constantly talking of threats from India’s ‘neighbors’ must be shot on the spot. The United States is EVERYBODY’s neighbor. It has already invaded and occupied Afghanistan, a part of traditional India and will expand its occupation to the rest of the subcontinent.
    Was Britain India’s neighbor? I am India’s expert in strategic defence and the father of India’s strategic program, including the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. The U.S. invasion of Afghanistan means the coast-to-coast destruction of the U.S. by India; see my blog titled ‘Nuclear Supremacy For India Over U.S.’ which can be found by a Yahoo search with the title for steps I have already taken for the nuclear destruction of New Delhi and then the coast-to-coast destruction of the U.S. and extermination of its population.
    Russia and other white countries are U.S. allies. These are the enemies to destroy. All other enemies will be taken care of automatically.
    Conventional arms are worthless for destroying the United Sates. Nuclear arms to destroy the United States with a FIRST STRIKE — this is the key — are cheap and easy to produce with technology India already has. Prepositioning by its special forces a couple of nuclear bombs in Washington and New York and letting the world know we have done so will give India freedom to test thermonuclear weapons designs, ICBMs, etc., as much as it wants, though India already has this freedom but for the nigger-slaves. Alternatively, twenty kiloton bombs can be prepositioned in the largest U.S. cities and then Washington and New York destroyed with the warning that additional U.S. cities will be destroyed if there is any retaliation. The nuclear destruction of New Delhi — without waiting — is all that is needed to make India win.

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