US wants to convince India to buy F-35 fighters instead of Russian jets

The United States, in a bid to strengthen relations with India, is offering to upgrade its fighter fleet with fifth-generation aircraft. In parallel, the US could wrest the Indian market from Russia.

Here's What We Know

India's air force is armed with Soviet-era fighter jets. Because of this New Delhi has been looking for ways to upgrade its fleet of aircraft for a long time. India buys a lot of weapons from Russia, but the US is offering its own fighters instead of Russian ones.

The Aero India show took place last weekend. The United States sent a delegation there with several aircraft, including B1-B Lancer supersonic strategic bombers and F-18 Super Hornet fighters. But buying them is out of the question.

The United States wants to persuade India to buy the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II made by Lockheed Martin. It was reported by Reuters news agency, which asked the Indian Air Force for comment on the information, but has not received a reply yet.

Source: Reuters