US arms manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, the maker of American F series fighter jets, has offered the F-21 fighter jet to India, instead of the F-35, which was offered earlier.
Amid questions over the performance of French-made Rafale fighter jets in the recent India-Pakistan conflict during Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force (IAF), which has already expressed concerns over its dwindling operational fleet, and has mulling to acquire another fleet of next-gen fighter jets, either the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-57, or the US-built F-35, both 5th-generation stealth fighters.
However, recently, US arms manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, the maker of American F series fighter jets, has put another option on the table for India, The arms maker has proposed to sell the F-21 fighter jet, instead of its newer sibling F-35 to India, with CEO Jim Taiclet announcing that Lockheed Martin was willing to build 4.5th generation fighter aircraft in India in collaboration with the Tata Group under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
F-21 vs F-35 — Which is ‘better’?
According to defence experts, the F-21 is considered an upgraded, advanced version of Lockheed Martin’s F-16 fighter jet, and is equipped with an AESA radar, better cockpit, and onboard mission computer. The F-21 fighter jet is a multirole 4.5th generation fighter capable of carrying out wide-range of missions such as air-to-air and air-to-ground strikes.
Lockheed Martin has said the F-21 will be tailored to IAF’s needs and requirements, and changes will be made as requested. The F-21 aircraft is likely to cost around $100 (about Rs 850 crore) per jet.
Lockheed Martin to build F-21 in India
Notably, US Donald Trump had earlier offered to sell the F-35A stealth fighter to India, which is a 5th generation fighter jet featuring stealth technology, advanced sensors and data sharing tech, and is priced at around $110-150 million apiece, depending upon enhancements and additional agreements like pilot training, etc.
India has already purchased two squadrons of 4.5 gen Rafale fighters from French aerospace giant Dassault Aviation.
While the United States was previously hesitant in selling its premier F-35 fighter to tier-2 allies like India and Saudi Arabia, fearing that Washington’s rivals, China and Russia, might find a way to get their hands on the technology, but the US strategy has evolved since Moscow and Beijing inked deals to sell their 5th-gen fighters– Su-57 and J-20– to other countries.
Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet said India is “not ready” for the F-35, and instead offered to sell the 4.5 gen F-21, which he said will be built in India.
