Following US President Donald Trump’s announcement that the US will facilitate the sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to India, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala raised several concerns about the lack of consultation with the Indian Air Force and defense experts. He also questioned the absence of recommendations from the Defence Acquisition Council.
In a post on X, Surjewala pointed out the operational issues of the F-35, its high cost, and the absence of a “transfer of technology” agreement for domestic production. He questioned whether the Modi government considered these factors in the national interest before making the decision.
“Prime Minister Modi is purchasing F-35 fighter jets from the US, but did the Modi government take these aspects into consideration before making such a unilateral decision at the behest of President Trump?” Surjewala asked.
He also raised several questions regarding the Indian Air Force’s involvement in the decision-making process, asking if the Air Force’s opinion was taken into account or if the purchase was based on the recommendations of pilots and defense experts. He specifically questioned why the Defense Acquisition Council, responsible for defense purchases, did not make any recommendation for the F-35 purchase.
Surjewala further pointed out that the F-35 is the most expensive fighter aircraft in the world, with one costing approximately 110 million dollars (around Rs 968 crores). He argued that purchasing 100 such aircraft would cost India a staggering Rs 1 lakh crore, and questioned whether this expenditure aligned with the country’s economic and strategic interests.
He also referenced a Pentagon report that highlighted 65 operational flaws of the F-35 and raised concerns about design issues, malfunctioning systems, and the aircraft’s complex nature. Surjewala demanded to know if the Modi government had reviewed these issues, especially after the US government’s Government Accountability Office (GAO) report revealed that more than half of the US Air Force’s F-35 fleet is unfit to fly at any given time.
He also criticized the lack of a technology transfer agreement for manufacturing the F-35 in India, noting that while Russia and other countries were ready to transfer technology for fifth-generation fighter aircraft, the US was unwilling to offer such a deal. Surjewala emphasized that this should have been an important criterion in such a significant defense purchase.
On Thursday, during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Trump announced plans to increase military sales to India, including paving the way to supply the F-35 stealth fighters. However, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri clarified that the process of acquiring the F-35 had not yet begun, with no formal request for proposals or evaluation in place.
Surjewala concluded by urging the government to carefully consider these concerns before making any decisions regarding the F-35 purchase.