US ready to sell F-35 fighter to India: Pentagon

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US ready to sell F-35 fighter to India: Pentagon

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The Pentagon said that US is prepared to sell the new F-35 fighter jet to India.

03 November,2011 04:42 am

The United States would be prepared to sell India the new F-35 fighter jet, the Pentagon said Wednesday, after New Delhi rejected a US offer of older aircraft in a major competition this year.In a report to Congress on US defense ties with India, the Pentagon said India was a vital partner and that Washington wanted to bolster security cooperation with New Delhi, including joint exercises and high-tech arms sales.In the first round of a contest for a combat aircraft contract, India in April shortlisted Frances Dassault and the European Eurofighter consortium while rejecting the US offer of F-16 and F-18 jets.Despite this setback, we believe US aircraft, such as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), to be the best in the world, said the Pentagon report, referring to the radar-evading F-35 jet.Should India indicate interest in the JSF, the United States would be prepared to provide information on the JSF and its requirements... to support Indias future planning, it said.Mindful of Chinas rise and growing military reach, President Barack Obama has placed a high priority on deepening ties with India.The US-India defense relationship has expanded rapidly over the past decade and the administration sees India as a natural partner and global player, Robert Scher, deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia, told reporters.India has made no request for more information on the F-35 but the US invitation was an example of the high regard that we hold Indias military modernization, Scher said.In the April contest for a new multi-role fighter for India, Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon beat out US aerospace giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin as well as Swedens Saab AB and the Russian makers of the MiG 35.The US report noted that India is working with Russia on developing a fifth-generation fighter aircraft.The Pentagon touts the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as the premier fifth-generation fighter equipped with stealth technology, but the programme faces rising costs, with a price tag of nearly $150 million each.