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Pentagon Awaits India’s Interest in Lockheed F-35 Fighter

Vimana

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Updates with Lieberman comment in fifth paragraph, India contest setbacks in eighth, technology transfer in 10th through 12th paragraphs.)

Nov. 1 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Defense Department expressed eagerness to work more closely with India, including sharing information on its top weapons program, Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

“Should India indicate interest in the JSF, the United States would be prepared to provide information on the JSF and its requirements,” including on security and infrastructure, the Defense Department said today in a congressionally mandated report on U.S.-India security cooperation.

More joint work on science and technology “may lead to co- development opportunities with India as a partner,” the Defense Department said in the report.

The nine-page review of defense ties with India was prepared in response to a legislative provision sponsored earlier this year by Senate Armed Services Committee members Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, and John Cornyn, a Texas Republican. Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed Martin builds the F-35 in Texas. United Technologies Corp. makes the plane’s engines in Connecticut.

“Our two governments must be proactive in finding new ways to take on emerging security challenges together,” Lieberman said today in an e-mail, citing cybersecurity and counterterrorism.

Nuclear Technology

The report reflects the desire by successive U.S. administrations to convince India to increase security cooperation and buy American equipment as it expands and modernizes its military. The push included a years-long fight for congressional approval in 2008 of an agreement intended to clear the way for U.S. manufacturers such as General Electric Co. to sell India nuclear-energy technology.

The U.S. expected the nuclear-energy agreement to help increase a range of technology sales to India, especially in the defense sector.

The Pentagon report alludes to disappointing results. It cites the “setback” in April, when Lockheed’s F-16 jet fighter and Boeing Co.’s F/A-18 Super Hornet were eliminated from the $11 billion Indian competition to replace the subcontinent’s aging fleet of 1970s-era MiG-21s.

Aircraft on the shortlist were Dassault Aviation SA’s Rafale and the Eurofighter made by BAE Systems Plc, Finmeccanica SpA and European Aeronautic, Defense & Space Co.

Weapons Cooperation

Lockheed Martin said in June it may offer the F-35 stealth fighter to India. The Cornyn-Lieberman requirement for the security cooperation report helped open an avenue to do that, Lockheed Senior Vice President Patrick Dewar said in a June interview at the Paris Air Show.

India has urged the U.S. to give it more access to technology so that the two countries can develop weapons together. The Pentagon acknowledged that goal in the report.

“The United States wants to develop deeper defense industrial cooperation with India, including a range of cooperative research and development,” they wrote in the assessment. “The United States is committed to providing India with top-of-the-line technology.”

The Cornyn-Lieberman provision had called for the Pentagon to assess the potential for jointly developing equipment such as a replacement for the U.S. Air Force T-38 trainer jet. Today’s report didn’t specifically address that system.

Efforts for the next five years will place “particular emphasis on maritime security and counterterrorism activities and expanding defense trade and armaments cooperation,” the Pentagon reported.

--With assistance from Gopal Ratnam in Washington. Editors: Steven Komarow, Jim Rubin.

Pentagon Awaits India’s Interest in Lockheed F-35 Fighter - Businessweek
 
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Unfortunately, F-35 will come with a lot of restrictions on India. It will not be a wise decision to go for such a fighter.
Maybe the IN can look in procuring some but not the air force.
 
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US for a strong defence relationship with India - India News - IBNLive



"We will advance the defense relationship by deepening people-to-people ties through continued military-to-military engagements, implementing agreed upon cooperation and pursuing new avenues of collaboration with particular emphasis on maritime security and counter-terrorism activities and expanding defense trade and armaments cooperation," the Pentagon said.
 
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I do think india should buy some F35s, it will allow transfer of technology, even though it will be a stripped down version.
 
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Unfortunately, F-35 will come with a lot of restrictions on India. It will not be a wise decision to go for such a fighter.
Maybe the IN can look in procuring some but not the air force.


My view exactly the F35 would be good for the Navy but PAK-FA is all we need for airforce
 
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get F35 for navy....
dont you guys expect some strings attached to it........
 
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I do think india should buy some F35s, it will allow transfer of technology, even though it will be a stripped down version.
It will not allow TOT, the US Senate already said no to India's ToT on the F-18 deal.
 
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I do think india should buy some F35s, it will allow transfer of technology, even though it will be a stripped down version.

I see your point. The tech transfer is attractive, if allowed. But frankly the cost of procuring the F-35 is prohibitively high. A handful os F-35's are not going to help any nation in the long run. If India spends the same amount of money developing the AMCA or even a Naval version of the Su PAKFA for the future large aircraft carriers, they would end up with a comparable aircraft with larger numbers.
Frankly, the only thing going for the JSF, despite it being a lethal aircraft is the multinational interest and finance being poured into it.
 
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I see your point. The tech transfer is attractive, if allowed. But frankly the cost of procuring the F-35 is prohibitively high. A handful os F-35's are not going to help any nation in the long run. If India spends the same amount of money developing the AMCA or even a Naval version of the Su PAKFA for the future large aircraft carriers, they would end up with a comparable aircraft with larger numbers.
Frankly, the only thing going for the JSF, despite it being a lethal aircraft is the multinational interest and finance being poured into it.

But india can use them for adversary training(the americans use mig29 for adversary training) and also use it to get the feel of flying a fifth generation fighter plane. Furthermore, nobody can say anything if you reverse engineer the f35s
 
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But india can use them for adversary training(the americans use mig29 for adversary training) and also use it to get the feel of flying a fifth generation fighter plane. Furthermore, nobody can say anything if you reverse engineer the f35s

:)...yeah well the Americans got the mig 29's for a whole lot cheaper than what an F-35 would cost!! But thats where the red flag exercise comes in. The Americans knew they could not do much with the Mig 29's they had and wanted an airforce with RUssian aircraft that could display offensive strategies employed by them. The Indians wanted experience flying against the F-16's/F-18's.
Best adversary training there could be.. and a whole lot cheaper than buying an F-35, especially considering the fact that a lot of the radar source codes and weapon systems would be under US control.
But yeah, getting one to reverse engineer is tempting :P.
 
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I'm getting all excited about the F-35 but we shouldn't be diverted from the FGFA.
 
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Things like this make us proud but I don't think we need the F35's for now
 
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Atleast test them under the name of trials.
It can be a good experience for free.
 
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We should keep in mind that FGFA is being modified to suit India's needs. IMO F-35 would not be modified. Also since India is a funding partner, we would have rights to manufacture the plane as and when required and even export to other countries if need arises. F 35 does not offer these.
 
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