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India-Pakistan
US offers high tech F-35 fighters to India
2007-07-22
New Delhi, July 22: In a major move, the United States has sent feelers that it is now ready for transfer of hi-technology weaponry to India, including its 5th generation Joint Strike Fighter F-35. Though Pentagon has offered New Delhi participation in its missile shield, top of the shelf 4th generation F-16 and F-18/A fighters, weapon locating radars and its new brand of long range maritime reconnaissance aircraft, it has so far kept the F-35 under wraps.

But in a surprise move last week, a high-level team from US Defence Major Lockheed Martin met top officials of the Indian Air Force to convey that the F-35 Ligthening-II was available for IAF's 5th generation fighter requirements.
Boy howdy that's going to twist some turbans in Islamabad.
Lockheed Martin's Vice President for Business Development, Rob Weiss told PTI after the meeting that they had indicated that the F-35 was ready to be in reckoning for India's fighter needs beyond the induction of the 126 Multi Role Combat Aircraft

The offer would come in handy for India as the country's security experts have been struggling to find partners to develop futuristic 5th generation fighters. Though New Delhi has been in negotiation with Moscow for joint development and joint investment in next generation fighters, the Russian concepts of such fighters is currently only on the drawing board.
Russians have fabulous aircraft designers -- some of the best in the world -- but don't have the means to get 5th gen fighter aircraft built in any quantity and quality. The F-35 is a reality and will be rolling off production lines soon. While the Paks and Chinese might in the future come up with a counter for th F-16 or F-18, it's a decade, at least, before they get their hands on a plane that counters the F-35. This is a win-win situation for us and India: it pulls the Indians closer to us, it cuts the per-plane cost of the -35, and it allows the IAF a big jump in its quest to be a first-nation air force.
Posted by:John Frum

#15  Better them than backing the Pakis - they leaked F-16 avionics to the Chinese, allegedly.

ANd Pakistan is going to fall to the Taliban - the ISI has fully gone over to the dark side.
Posted by: OldSpook   2007-07-22 23:45  

#14  John Frum is correct. The real key to any export aircraft is not the airframe and the engines, but the avionics. There is always a custom suite for any export.
Posted by: RWV   2007-07-22 22:12  

#13  I think our greater interest is to keep India one step ahead of China with several technologies. China wants to oppose the US, but they dasn't ignore India. To have China spending a lot of its military dollars pointed in a different direction takes a lot of the pressure off of us.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2007-07-22 18:58  

#12  While there are many socialists and people that love the old Soviet union in India, it is actually behaving like a western democracy. It is respecting treaty rights in technology, intellectual rights and other "fuzzy" rights. Sure, there are those in the government that will try to sell some stuff to the russians, but all in all, I think it is worth the risk to add another ally to ring Russia and China. Not to mention the fact that they are not exactly friendly to the muzzies either.
Posted by: DarthVader   2007-07-22 14:07  

#11  I'd rather share with India than Britain. Anything we give the Brits will go to the French and Germans and then to the Russians with a far higher probability than what's given to India. And in 25 years I'd rather be fighting next to the Indian Army rather than whatever the Brits will have as an army.

Face it, Britain is tanking. That leaves Oz and the Japanese, sort of and Denmark. We need allies. Allies we can talk to. Allies who share our values. Allies who understand what's at stake in this war. That describes India, not Britain.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2007-07-22 13:25  

#10  Latest and greatest is the F-22.

And these would be export grade F-35s.

Downgraded radars, avionics, weapons etc.

Posted by: John Frum   2007-07-22 12:52  

#9  Somehow I don't believe that, John Frum. It's nice that we get to cozy up to India, but I'm not a fan at all of sharing our latest greatest technology with anyone. With Britain, maybe.
Posted by: gromky   2007-07-22 12:41  

#8  Giving/Selling the F-35 to the Indians and the resulting technology transfer will be about the same as giving it to the Russians.

India has bought specialized gear for its special forces from the US. During exercises with Russia, it kept this equipment away from the Russians as per the sale agreement with the US.

The stuff provided by the CIA for spying on China was not shared with Russia.

Previous western equipment (the ELINT gear purchased from Japan, the French and British warplanes, the Israeli Greenpine ABM radars etc) has remained confined to India.

The Indians (unlike Pakistanis) actually pay cash for planes.

Boeing has just bagged orders for 68 aircraft from Air India worth more than $11 billion. Jet Airways have bought more than 30 planes from Boeing. Kigfisher Airlines is also looking at planes. Originally it wanted to buy 100 planes from Airbus. It now looks like Boeing will bag a portion of that order as well.

Posted by: John Frum   2007-07-22 12:08  

#7  Yes, the colors in madras bleed.
Posted by: lotp   2007-07-22 11:35  

#6  Saudis - Iraq - Iran - Afghanistan - Pakistan - India ... the pattern is not a coincidence.

The textile strategy. Checks are nice, but I was looking for something in a tie dye, maybe madras.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2007-07-22 11:27  

#5  This is about pulling India away from Russia and into the American sphere.

I understand the intent of the action. However, that doesn't eliminate the fact that India was once a client of the Soviets, and, there are still huge numbers of folks in the Indian military establishment that have a fondness --shall we say-- for the Russians.

Giving/Selling the F-35 to the Indians and the resulting technology transfer will be about the same as giving it to the Russians. Our government is stacked to the rafters with idiots!

Pakistan is unravelling. We need a solid alliance with India sooner, not later, if we are to control the damage when it implodes.

India is more than capable of dealing with the Pakis on their own, anytime they want to. We, need to give Mushy the finger and just clean out the tribal zones ourselves. I think around the clock ARCLIGHT missions for about 21 days ought to do it.

Posted by: Natural Law   2007-07-22 11:24  

#4  The F-35 is not the F-22; it was always meant for sale to friendly, or at least non-hostile countries.
Posted by: Gary and the Samoyeds   2007-07-22 10:53  

#3  Pakistan is unravelling. We need a solid alliance with India sooner, not later, if we are to control the damage when it implodes.

Saudis - Iraq - Iran - Afghanistan - Pakistan - India ... the pattern is not a coincidence.
Posted by: lotp   2007-07-22 10:44  

#2  This is about pulling India away from Russia and into the American sphere.

Dick Cheney intervened on Friday in the US-India nuclear talks to ensure that the deal was secured.

Weapon sales are integral to alliance building.
Posted by: John Frum   2007-07-22 10:20  

#1  Big. Mistake. Let's just ship a couple to Russia while we're at it! Our government is stacked to the rafters with idiots.
Posted by: Natural Law   2007-07-22 10:03  

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