Bengaluru: Two American F-35 stealth fighters landed at Bengaluru’s Yelahanka air base of the Indian Air Force (IAF) Saturday and taxied past the Russian fifth generation fighter Su-57, making it the first time when both aircraft shared the same air space.
Late Saturday afternoon, the two F-35s carried out a straight fly past the Bengaluru skies followed by US’s two F-16s and landed for India’s biennial aviation exhibition, Aero India, which begins Monday.
While originally both the Su-57 and the F-35 were supposed to carry out aerial demonstrations during the five-day event, the American fighter will only be for static display now.
Sources in the defence establishment told ThePrint that the Americans had a shortage of stunt pilots for the aero show and, hence, there would only be a display.
The Su-57, which landed earlier this week, will take part in the Aero India for the first time and will also showcase aerial flying demonstration.
This is the first time when both stealth fighters will share the same airspace. Both the fighters were made keeping the other country in mind. ThePrint had reported on 28 January that the two stealth fighters are set to arrive at Aero India.
Russian offer to India
Russian sources told ThePrint they were very keen to collaborate with India. They said the S-57 was available to India for co-production. The Russians have also offered to help develop India’s own stealth fighter.
Incidentally, India and Russia signed an agreement in 2007 to jointly develop the fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA).
A formal agreement was signed in 2010 and the FGFA was meant to be a two-seater aircraft based on IAF’s specifications. India had even pumped in about $300 million into the project. However, differences cropped up over design, stealth capabilities, engines and also work share besides technology transfer.
“It was conveyed to Russia that they can go ahead with the project and we may join it at a later stage,” then defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said in 2018.
India is working on its own 5th generation fighter called the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA), a model of which will also be showcased at the Aero India. The aircraft is still at the designing phase.
The IAF is expected to induct about seven squadrons of the AMCA, which is being developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) with manufacturing partner Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The aircraft is still at the design phase and India is yet to take a call on which engine will power it. India is looking to develop a 110-120KN engine and the competition for foreign partners is between American GE, French Safran and the British Rolls Royce.
The American offer
The Americans, who have brought the F-35s for the second time to Aero India, are looking at the IAF’s mega multi-role fighter aircraft (MRFA) programme.
The US government has cleared the F-21, an upgraded version of the F-16 aircraft of Lockheed Martin, and the F-15 EX and the F/A 18 of the Boeing for the MRFA programme.
Multiple American officials in the past have made it clear in private conversion that the F-35 is on the table as an offer to India. However, with the Donald Trump administration in, things could change. All eyes will be on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Trump in Washington next week to see whether there is any discussion on the F-35.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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