Air Chief Marshal AP Singh says Washington has made no formal offer for the F-35 and jokes that US personnel did not allow Indian airmen near the aircraft.
Russia has offered India the Su-57, but the government has yet to decide whether the IAF should evaluate the fifth-generation fighter.
The IAF faces a shortfall in fighter squadrons as India develops its indigenous AMCA, while six US F-35s participate in Tarang Shakti 2026.
IAF Chief Says US Made No Formal F-35 Offer, Jokes Indian Airmen Were Kept Away From Jet
IAF chief AP Singh says the US has made no formal offer to sell India the F-35 stealth fighter, while Russia’s Su-57 proposal remains under consideration and no decision has been taken on its evaluation
Summary
The United States has not made a formal offer to sell the F-35 stealth fighter to India, the Indian Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, said on Saturday. With a smile, he added that American personnel had not even let Indian airmen near the aircraft.
The IAF chief was speaking at a press conference on the multinational air exercise Tarang Shakti 2026, sharing the stage with General Kevin Schneider, commander of the US Pacific Air Forces.
Asked for his assessment of the F-35, he turned to Schneider and said: “Your people don’t even let us go near the aircraft and you talk about selling it to us.”
In reply to another question, Singh said the US had not shown the Indian side the cockpit but had allowed Indian aircraft to fly in close formation with the jet, adding that how the countries protect their technologies.
US Commander Cites Classification Rules
When Schneider was asked how the US Air Force keeps F-35 technology under wraps, he said that the access and information sharing on programmes such as the F-35 were not decisions he made.
“Programme-level security classification guides” determine what the US can share, when it can share it and how it protects the material, he said.
Russian Offer On The Table
On India’s wish to acquire a fifth-generation fighter, the IAF chief confirmed that Russia had offered the Sukhoi Su-57. “But there has been no decision yet,” he said.
India is looking at a stop-gap option because its indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is still about a decade away. The AMCA programme was cleared by the government in May 2025 and induction is expected only in the mid-2030s. The IAF, meanwhile, is short of its sanctioned strength of 42 fighter squadrons. Currently, it has a total of 29 squadrons.
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Background To The F-35 Question
The F-35 question dates to February 2025, when President Donald Trump, standing beside the prime minister, Narendra Modi, at the White House, said Washington was paving the way to eventually provide India with the jet.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said afterwards that it was only a proposal, with no formal process under way.
The Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport had made its Su-57 pitch to India weeks earlier.
Both jets were displayed at Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru. F-35 makes its Tarang Shakti debut
The second edition of Tarang Shakti, themed “Power in Partnership”, runs at Air Force Station Jodhpur from September 26 to October 12.
Six US Air Force F-35s have flown in, marking the first time the jet has taken part in a military exercise on Indian soil. Its earlier appearance in India was a static and flying display at Aero India.
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Seven foreign air forces – Australia, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and the US – are participating with aircraft, while about 32 countries are attending as observers.
India had sent invitations to 65 countries. Foreign aircraft taking part include the Rafale, F-16, A400M, C-130J and multi-role tanker transports. Missions cover counter-air operations, air defence, reconnaissance, airlift, and air-to-air refuelling.
The first edition, held in 2024 at Sulur in Tamil Nadu and Jodhpur, involved 11 countries with air assets.
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