Following his meeting with Prime Minister Modi, US President Trump is expected to start talks with the US soon to buy the F-35 fighter jets. It is said that if India buys the F-35 fighter jets from the US, it may buy a limited number of F-35 fighter jets. A news package about it
The Indian Air Force is an important part of the Indian security forces. The primary duty of the Indian Air Force is to protect India’s airspace.
The mission of the Indian Air Force is to protect the country from enemy air attacks and to conduct air strikes.
The Indian Air Force was formed by the British on October 8, 1932. The Indian Air Force has about 170,000 personnel. It has about 1,130 fighter aircraft and 1,700 other utility aircraft. The Indian Air Force is the fourth largest air force in the world.
In April 1933, the Indian Air Force started its first squadron with four Westland Wapidi aircraft and five pilots. It is noteworthy that an air squadron will have about 18 fighter aircraft.
Today, out of the authorized number of 43 air squadrons, only 31 air squadrons are in service. Two squadrons of MiG-21 aircraft are operated very rarely for security reasons. Therefore, there are only 29 air squadrons in service at present.
For a strong country, it is not enough to have strong three services, it is also necessary to have a strong leadership and clear relations with other countries.
For the last 10 years, India has been acting very wisely in its foreign policy. India, which has been improving the capabilities of the three services, has in recent years changed its diplomatic strategies wisely.
It has started developing the necessary things domestically without seeking anyone’s needs to protect its sovereignty. India is taking security measures at a rapid pace, such as the Balakot attack, the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir, and the purchase of S-400 aircraft from Russia despite US objections.
Before 2014, due to the failure to purchase new fighter jets, the number of Indian air forces had declined. Therefore, the 2016 agreement to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France was signed.
The Indian Rafale fighter jet has advanced features that are not available in the Rafale fighter jets used by other countries. Radar expansion, helmet-mounted display, ability to operate at high altitudes, advanced infrared search and track sensor, powerful electronic jammer. The modern Meteor missile feature that can hit targets in the air while flying long-range has also been incorporated in the Indian Rafale fighter jet.
It is in this context that the US President has announced that he will provide F-35 fighter jets to India. However, the US is opposed to the integration of F-35 fighter jets with Russia’s S-400 air defense system.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has said that no process has yet been initiated to purchase F-35 fighter jets from the US, and that the talks are at the “propositional stage”.
Furthermore, it is expected that the F-35 deal will not be a replacement for the Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) fighter jet.
Under the Advanced Multirole Combat Aircraft programme, it is expected that a small number of F-35 fighter jets can be purchased as a temporary solution until indigenous jets are developed.
It is worth noting that Russia has already said that it is ready to provide its fifth-generation jet fighter, the SU-57 fighter jet, to India.
Modi’s royal strategy, are the F-35 fighter jets a temporary solution? What is the US position?
