Aero India 2023: US Tries To Court India Away From Russia With F-35 Jets, Bombers, Says Report
The US delegation to the week-long Aero India exhibition in Bengaluru, which concludes on Friday, is the largest in the event's 27-year history.
This week, the US brought the F-35, its most modern fighter jet, together with F-16s, Super Hornets, and B-1B bombers to India for the first time in an effort to lure New Delhi away from Russia, its longtime weapon supplier, news agency Reuters reported.
India, which is frantically trying to update its primarily Soviet-era fighter aircraft fleet in order to increase its air force, is worried about Russian supply disruptions brought on by the conflict in Ukraine and is under pressure from the West to sever ties with Moscow.
The US delegation to the week-long Aero India exhibition in Bengaluru, which concludes on Friday, is the largest in the event's 27-year history, highlighting the United States and India's expanding strategic alliance.
Russia, India's major weapons supplier since the days of the Soviet Union, had just a token presence. Rosoboronexport, the country's state-owned weapons exporter, shared a stall with United Aircraft and Almaz-Antey, showcasing tiny models of aeroplanes, vehicles, radars, and tanks.
Before, Rosoboronexport had a more central location for its exhibit at the show, despite the fact that Russia has not sent a fighter plane to Bengaluru in a decade, because India began examining more European and American fighter jets.
Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets have already entered the contest to supply fighter planes for the Indian Navy's second aircraft carrier, while Lockheed Martin's F-21, an improved F-16 created specifically for India and showcased at Aero India in 2019, is also being considered for the air force.
A $20 billion air force request to acquire 114 multi-role fighter aircraft has been waiting for five years, with tensions with China and Pakistan bringing it to the forefront.
According to an Indian Air Force (IAF) source, the F-35 is not being considered by India "right now," but the exhibition of two F-35s at Aero India for the first time was a reflection of New Delhi's rising strategic relevance to Washington, Reuters reported.
According to Angad Singh, an independent defence expert, it was "not a sales pitch," but rather a symbol of the importance of the bilateral defence cooperation in the Indo-Pacific area.
"Even if weapons sales aren't the cornerstone of the relationship, there is a cooperation and collaboration at the military level between India and the U.S.," he was quoted by Reuters in its report.
The United States is picky about which countries can acquire the F-35. When asked if the jet will be offered to India, Rear Admiral Michael L. Baker, the US embassy's defence attache in India, said New Delhi was in the "very early phases" of deciding if it wanted it.
A request for comment on the IAF's interest in F-35s was not returned.
Before to the expo, Russian state news outlets stated that Moscow had given New Delhi with roughly $13 billion in weaponry during the previous five years, with orders for another $10 billion.
In the previous six years, the United States has authorised more than $6 billion in military sales to India, including transport planes, Apache, Chinook, and MH-60 helicopters, missiles, air defence systems, naval guns, and P-8I Poseidon observation aircraft.
India also intends to produce more defence equipment at home in conjunction with global behemoths, initially to suit its own needs and afterwards to export advanced weapon platforms.
(With Inputs From Reuters)
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