US' F-35 fighter participates for the first time with IAF on Indian soil. (Photo: India Sentinels)
Jodhpur: Indian Air Force chief ACM AP Singh has said that the United States has made no official offer to sell its F-35 stealth fighter to India, adding a pointed remark, in a light tone, about the access Indian personnel have had to the aircraft.
AP Singh spoke at a joint press conference wherein the commander of the US Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), General Kevin Schneider was also presnt among others. It was held in Jodhpur as Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 neared its close. He said American personnel “don't even let us go near” the F-35 aircraft, so talk of a sale was, in his words, premature.
F-35: A first for the exercise
Six F-35 Lightning II jets and more than 200 US airmen took part in the exercise for the first time. The Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, had said earlier that the Indian Air Force (IAF) would exercise with the F-35 for the first time and that operational details would be withheld for security reasons.
The F-35 jet had earlier appeared in India only at Aero India 2025.
The exercise, themed “Power in Partnership”, ran from September 26 to October 12. Seven foreign air forces flew alongside the IAF: Australia, the US, the UAE, France, Germany, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Read also: AMCA project -- Defence ministry issues proposal requests to three private parties bypassing HAL
Their aircraft included the F-35, Rafale, F-16, A400M, MRTT, C-130, C-130J and KC-30A. About 32 other countries attended as observers. Invitations had gone to 65 countries. The first edition was held in 2024.
Su-57: no decision yet
The IAF chief was also asked about Russia’s Su-57. He said the IAF was aware of Moscow’s offer but that no decision had been made on whether the aircraft should be evaluated. If the government gave direction, the IAF would assess how far the jet met its requirements.
Read also: Russia’s Putin pitches Su-57 to India as aerospace ties deepen on two fronts
At his annual press conference on October 3, AP Singh had said the IAF might look at a foreign fifth-generation fighter if the indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme faced delays. He noted that the force currently has no fifth-generation capability. The AMCA prototypes are not expected before the end of this decade.
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed joint production and technology transfer for the Su-57 at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum in June.
Background to the F-35 question
The idea of the F-35 for India first surfaced in public in February 2025. During a visit by the prime minister, Narendra Modi, to Washington, the US president, Donald Trump, spoke of making the stealth fighter available to India. New Delhi has since maintained that it has received no formal proposal.
Meanwhile, the IAF is building up its fleet through other routes. These include additional Rafale fighters from France and 180 Tejas-Mk1A aircraft that are already on order.
Follow us on social media for quick updates, new photos, videos, and more.
X: https://x.com/indiasentinels
Facebook: https://facebook.com/indiasentinels
Instagram: https://instagram.com/indiasentinels
YouTube: https://youtube.com/indiasentinels
© India Sentinels 2026-27
