World · South & Central Asia · 19 hrs ago
IAF chief says US has not offered India the F-35 fighter
India’s Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, said the United States had not formally offered India its F-35 stealth fighter.
He made the remark during Exercise Tarang Shakti, a two-week multinational air exercise in Jodhpur.
The US sent six F-35s, marking the aircraft’s first participation in an exercise in India, but Indian pilots had limited access to them.
Singh teased the US Pacific Air Forces commander about the restrictions, then described his comments as friendly banter.
The US commander said security rules govern what can be shared and that many access decisions are made centrally.
US President Donald Trump had said the previous year that the United States was paving the way for India to acquire F-35s, but Singh said there was no offer to buy them.
India is pursuing its own fifth-generation stealth fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, which Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called an important step toward mastering the technology.
India’s air force chief said the United States had not offered India the F-35 fighter.
Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said Indian pilots were kept at a distance from the aircraft during Exercise Tarang Shakti.
The US deployed six F-35s to Jodhpur for the exercise, the first time the fighters took part in an exercise in India.
US Pacific Air Forces commander General Kevin B Schneider said security rules governed what could be shared and that he did not make those decisions.
India is pursuing its own fifth-generation stealth fighter programme, the advanced medium combat aircraft.
- Who
- Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and US Pacific Air Forces commander General Kevin B Schneider.
- What
- Singh said the US had not offered India the F-35 and complained that Indian pilots had little access to it during the exercise.
- When
- Ahead of the exercise’s conclusion on October 12. The article was published on October 11, 2026.
- Where
- Jodhpur, India.
- Why
- Singh was responding to a question about whether Washington had formally offered the aircraft to India; Schneider cited security rules governing access to advanced weapons systems.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
There is no offer from the US for us to buy the F-35
There are programme-level security classification guides that determine...what we’re able to share, when we share it, as well as how we protect it
It was more of, you know, taking a dig at him (Schneider) when I said, hey, let us get even closer, we need close formation in there
US President Donald Trump announced that the US was paving the way for India to acquire F-35 fighters.
Six US F-35s took part in an exercise in India for the first time, and Indian pilots had little access to the aircraft.
Singh said the US had not offered India the F-35, while responding to a question at the exercise.
The two-week exercise was due to conclude.
- Aircraft deployed
- Six US F-35s
- Exercise location
- Jodhpur, India
- Exercise duration
- Two weeks
- Exercise participation
- First time F-35s took part in an exercise in India
- India’s planned stealth fighter
- Advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA)
Sources
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