The cancellation comes from Indian reactions to US tariffs, Russian defense ties, and a preference for domestic military production over foreign hardware purchases.
Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump opened the door to India purchasing the fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. However, New Delhi has all but slammed shut that door, after Trump also announced a 25 percent tariff on Indian goods that was to go into effect on Friday.
Indian officials were reportedly “shocked and disappointed” by the news. While New Delhi hasn’t made any retaliatory moves of its own, it is also not seeking to move forward with efforts to acquire the multi-role stealth fighter.
Trump’s 25 percent tariffs could hinder the Pentagon’s efforts to persuade India to shift its military hardware acquisition away from Russia. New Delhi remains Moscow’s largest foreign customer, and this is unlikely to change anytime soon.
Washington has engaged in a gradual effort to deepen defense-industrial ties, which has included the sale of the MH-60R Seahawk helicopter and the P-8I maritime patrol aircraft.
Why Did the United States Offer the F-35 to India?
President Trump had pitched the Lightning II to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latter’s visit to the White House in February, the first foreign visit of Trump’s second term.
“We’ll be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We’re also paving the way to provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters, ultimately,” Trump told reporters in February, according to Reuters.
Even at the time, there were questions about whether such a deal could materialize.
For one, India operates the same S-400 Triumf air defense system that caused NATO member Turkey to be expelled from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program during Trump’s first term. It is difficult to reconcile how New Delhi would be approved to operate the stealth fighter when Washington and NATO had taken a hard line that the F-35 and S-400 were incompatible and that Turkey’s adoption of both would compromise the aircraft’s security.
India also has numerous partnership deals, including the licensed production of Russian hardware, and New Delhi has made it clear that this is a direction it would seek to continue heading as part of its “Make in India” initiative.
“The government is more interested in a partnership focused on jointly designing and manufacturing defense equipment domestically,” an Indian official told Bloomberg on Thursday.
Russia Wants to Sell Fighter Jets to India
Russia’s military-industrial conglomerate Rostec has repeatedly proposed a partnership for the production of the Sukhoi Su-57 (NATO reporting name Felon), but so far, nothing has materialized.
However, last month, another proposal was presented that would see the Su-57E, the export model of the Felon, and the Sukhoi Su-35M (NATO reporting name Flanker-E/M) air superiority fighter manufactured under license.
The Defense Blog reported that it could include a “full technology transfer” for the fifth-generation fighter, which could be assembled domestically at India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s Nasik facility. The same factory has manufactured over 220 Sukhoi Su-30MKI (NATO reporting name: Flanker-H) fighters.
Whether New Delhi moves forward with any deal with Moscow has yet to be seen, but it is clear that this is more than just tariffs.
“Buying is not enough, we want to build,” the unnamed Indian official added.
That could allow the Su-57 to claim a big win over the F-35.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image Credit: Shutterstock/Madhuram Paliwal.
