We could certainly use someone knowledgeable about the Indian MIC to add information to this thread. To be honest I don't follow their military developments that closely. Then again that isn't the main topic of this forum. I guess it is called SinoDefence for a reason.
Indian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.
- Thread starter bd popeye
- Start date
That would make sense, but the question is if the US would let them. India is a lot less "nonaligned" today than it used to be. And increasingly dependent on the West for arms sales. Plus, India is trying to build their own jets in increasing numbers. Tejas may or may not be underwhelming, but the Indian govt has ordered a lot of them in recent years. AMCA is also a major priority.
I suspect the AMCA program will fail to deliver on time and then India will be bullied into buying a 5th gen aircraft from the West, which basically only leaves the F35 as a realistic option.
There is widespread acknowledgement that the Western AA systems are inferior to the S-400. The same can not be said regards F-35 vs Su-57. So there is no good excuse from a technological standpoint the way you could make the argument for the S-400. In addition, the geopolitical context changed after the Ukraine war. Many of these S-400 contracts were signed way earlier and India had a strong argument to carry them through. But a new contract with Russia is a different story. Why do you think India has steadily shifted away from Russia and towards Western suppliers in recent years? Geopolitics.
Procurement of fighter jets is rarely a rational process. Indonesia got out of buying Russian jets after getting pressured by the West.
India's fundamental geopolitical problem is that it is too weak to compete against China and too dependent on the West. If the West decides to play hardball, what is India going to do? It needs access to Western markets for its IT exports (which are the main driver of exports for India). There is great distrust between China and India whereas the Russian economy is simply too small and insignificant to replace the West. The only answer to get out of this rut is to develop your own industries, but so far progress on that front has been lackluster for the Indians.
Dont think this gonna happen except India made -heavy- concession to US. The best US will offer would be F-16's and F-15EX's.
Indian ego would not let the west actually control them.
I find it way more likely they'll get Su-57 in the end. Because they can request some modifications and pass it off as "joint India-foreign" pride project, whereas with F-35, they will be forced to show submission to America. Besides, it's a major risk for US to give it to India as well, because India is never 100% aligned with someone, and may even turn on a dime randomly.
Suppose China uses a bunch of espionage efforts, how easy wouldn't it to get blueprints/instructions or even pilfer a whole F-35 defector, given the vast gulf in living standard and economic means of coercion between the 2 countries? India would be the only F-35 country that is third world (besides Israel, but Israel is fully puppeted inside and out by US).
Although China may sell 5th gen to Pakistan, which is a country where US can relatively easily infiltrate as well, but the risk will be mitigated more, as the J-31 can be stripped down for export relative to J-35, while US doesn't have export version F-35, they will expose their own important fighters if the data is leaked.
The only time US could sell India F-35 is maybe if the F-35 is so cabbagized that's its no different than selling 4.5gen today. I.e. when PLAAF and USAF are on 6th gen.
But imho if that happens, India is more likely picking the cabbagized 5th gen of a non superpower major country, similar to how they picked Rafale for their 4.5gen. Either some future euro/france project or maybe the Korean kf-21.
The Su-57 was initially a collaborative project between India and Russia, but India withdrew from the initiative due to a failure to reach a mutual agreement on the jet.
The Indian Air Force does not regard the Su-57 as a fifth-generation fighter jet. They have explicitly stated that none of their neighbors possess a 5th generation fighter jet. Furthermore, they have consistently emphasized that the F-22 and F-35 are the only fifth-generation fighter jets produced thus far.
In 2008, the Indian Air Force declined F16 fighter jets, deeming them obsolete. With the acquisition of Rafales, it seems unlikely that India would purchase any other fourth-generation fighter jet from abroad, especially from the USA, given its unpredictable policies on fighter jet sales. Additionally, considering Pakistan's possession of F16s and its status as the largest non-NATO ally of the USA, it is improbable that the U.S. would permit its fighter jets to be used against Pakistan by the Indian Air Force.
There you go folks the Indian had spoken it's F-35, an interim solution until the 6th gen Tejas mk IV and AMCA.
This statement is not mine but was made by the serving IAF chief during an official press conference.There you go folks the Indian had spoken it's F-35, an interim solution until the 6th gen Tejas mk IV and AMCA.
Copy bro, wish the IAF the best and hope they may not regret its decision as the Russian offer is the most attractive, affordable and sanction proof as it will not compromise National Security.