Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on Monday that India would consider the potential sale of F-35 fighter jets from the United States with an “open mind.” However, he clarified that no formal offer has been made yet and that the US is still exploring a roadmap to make the aircraft available.
“It is not an offer yet. He (Trump) said that they will look at a roadmap to make the F-35 available. We will evaluate the offer once it is formally made. In any case, our procurements follow a structured process where the services raise requirements. Creating an option of this type is important for us, and we will certainly look at it with an open mind,” Singh told ANI.
He emphasized that India’s defence acquisitions are guided by a well-defined procurement process with planned allocations. Singh highlighted India’s substantial defence budget, stating that ₹1,80,000 crore is earmarked for the next financial year, while ₹1,60,000 crore has been allocated for the current year.
“The Defence Ministry has a procurement plan for major acquisitions, including fighter jets, submarines, and missiles. However, these will be announced only after the procurement process is completed,” he added.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, President Donald Trump said during the joint press conference that defence sales between the two nations would increase by “many billions of dollars” and that his administration was paving the way to provide India with F-35 aircraft.
“Starting this year, we will be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We are also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters,” Trump said.
The Lockheed Martin F-35 is the most widely deployed fifth-generation fighter aircraft globally. It is known for its advanced stealth, avionics, and combat capabilities.
Team BharatShakti
