The US leader has claimed Washington will substantially increase its military sales to New Delhi during talks with PM Narendra Modi
US President Donald Trump has said his country will offer F-35 fighter jets to India as part of expanded arms exports. Trump made the comments as he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on Thursday.
The two leaders agreed to increase defense trade and co-production, according to a joint statement released after the talks.
“We’ll be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We’re also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters,” Trump told reporters, without giving any timeline.
The development comes amid India’s efforts to modernize and upgrade its military infrastructure, as the country seeks to strengthen its defense capabilities. Neither Trump nor Modi clarified whether the offer of F-35s suggests any localization or technology transfer to India.
Trump’s remarks come days after the F-35 faced off against Russia’s Su-57 fighter jet at India’s largest air show, Aero India, which is wrapping up in Bangalore. Russia presented the Su-57 in India for the first time, sparking intense interest from experts and the general public, according to Indian media reports.
Aleksandr Mikheev, the director of Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state-run arms export agency, announced at Aero India that Moscow is prepared to export the cutting-edge, fifth-generation Su-57E multirole fighter jet to international partners, signaling a significant expansion of Russia’s military export capabilities.
Rosoboronexport also said it had offered to partner with India on the further development of the export version of the Su-57 and localization of its production in India. New Delhi was initially a part of the countries’ joint project for development of a fifth-generation aircraft, but withdrew in 2018.
Russia Is historically the largest defense supplier to India. However, in recent years, New Delhi has been diversifying its import sources and technological partnerships, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). India has also been pushing to significantly expand its domestic defense manufacturing and R&D capabilities under the vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, or indigenization of the defense sector.
The joint statement released by New Delhi and Washington noted that the leaders announced plans to pursue new procurements and co-production arrangements for “Javelin” Anti-Tank Guided Missiles and “Stryker” Infantry Combat Vehicles in India to “rapidly meet India’s defense requirements.” The countries also aim to finalize a deal for the procurement of six additional P-8I Maritime Patrol aircraft for the Indian Navy. New Delhi and Washington also announced plans to sign a new ten-year Framework for the US-India Major Defense Partnership in the 21st Century this year.
In addition to strengthening their defense ties, Washington and New Delhi have agreed to accelerate cooperation in key areas such as commerce, technology, and trade amid concerns over Trump’s plan to impose reciprocal tariffs on trade partners, including India, which he termed a “tariff abuser.”
