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India dumps F35

Allan

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India has said no to the purchase of F-35s. Canada is also reviewing its order for 88 of the jets. That review will be completed by the fall.


India rejects U.S. F-35 offer, prioritises local production and Russian jets – Bloomberg

India has informed U.S. officials that it is not interested in acquiring the F-35 stealth fighter jet, despite continued American efforts to expand defence exports to New Delhi.
defence-industry.eu
 
Maybe they don't want the Cybertruck of fighter jets losing panels.

Small panel falls off stealth fighter after taking off from Tinker AFB

The stealthy fighter jet continued safely to its destination after losing a small panel on takeoff.
www.oklahoman.com

Maybe they prefer their aircraft to stay aloft.

Another cutting-edge F-35 fighter jet falls out of the sky. Here's what to know.

Each F-35 costs tens of millions of dollars to build, and the Defense Department had about 620 of them in 2024, according to a government report.
www.usatoday.com

It's track record isn't exactly stellar.
 
I am constantly reminded of the story before World War One. Turkey was interested in a Treaty with Britain. Britain didn't want to be that closely tied to the Sick Old Man that they viewed Turkey as. Winston Churchill was sent to tell Turkey no. Not only did he say no, but he made a point that Turkey should be thankful that Britain considered them friendly. A month into World War One, that treaty with Turkey would have been a big help since they cut off the Southern Supply line to Russia when they joined the war with Germany and Austria-Hungary.

So the lesson for most of us is if someone is friendly, do what you can to keep them friendly. Don't show up acting arrogant because if you're wrong and you need them later, they won't be there.

Unfortunately, Trump only knows how to act Arrogant and demands that his Ambassadors and such act the same way. So we lose friendly nations, and then what? It's hard to make Tariff's work if you aren't trading with them.

Turkey telling America to pound sand is pretty much expected. Trump's arrogance and bluster turns off a lot of people.
 
Who could trust the aircraft?
 
They also told the malignant narcissist scumbag piece of shit liar grifter rapist seditionist felon serial adulterer and tax cheat and pedophile to pound sand regarding purchasing energy from Russia.
 
Luce said:
Who could trust the aircraft?
Click to expand...
Trump also said a few months ago that allies will get a paired down version because "maybe they won't be our allies some day". He said America would provide technology that's "maybe 10% less".

That comment alone should trigger Canada's cancellation and send other allies into the arms of European manufacturers.
 
Maybe India figures it needs China's J-10C fighter jet and its PL-15 long-range missile:

How Pakistan shot down India's cutting-edge fighter using Chinese gear

The downing of the Rafale, the jewel of India's fleet, surprised many in the military community and raised questions about the effectiveness of Western military hardware against untested Chinese alternatives.
www.reuters.com

SLAMABAD/NEW DELHI, August 2 (Reuters) - Just after midnight on May 7, the screen in the Pakistan Air Force's operations room lit up in red with the positions of dozens of active enemy planes across the border in India.

Sidhu ordered Pakistan's prized Chinese-made J-10C jets to scramble. A senior Pakistani Air Force (PAF) official, who was present in the operations room, said Sidhu instructed his staff to target Rafales, a French-made fighter that is the jewel of India's fleet and had never been downed in battle.

"He wanted Rafales," said the official.

The hour-long fight, which took place in darkness, involved some 110 aircraft, experts estimate, making it the world's largest air battle in decades.

The J-10s shot down at least one Rafale, Reuters reported in May, citing U.S. officials. Its downing surprised many in the military community and raised questions about the effectiveness of Western military hardware against untested Chinese alternatives....

But Reuters interviews with two Indian officials and three of their Pakistani counterparts found that the performance of the Rafale wasn't the key problem: Central to its downing was an Indian intelligence failure concerning the range of the China-made PL-15 missile fired by the J-10 fighter. China and Pakistan are the only countries to operate both J-10s, known as Vigorous Dragons, and PL-15s.

The faulty intelligence gave the Rafale pilots a false sense of confidence they were out of Pakistani firing distance, which they believed was only around 150 km, the Indian officials said, referring to the widely cited range of PL-15's export variant....

The PL-15 that hit the Rafale was fired from around 200km (124.27 mi) away, according to Pakistani officials, and even farther according to Indian officials. That would make it among the longest-range air-to-air strikes recorded....
 
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Well, yes. Why spend top dollar for an aircraft that has been downgraded?
 
It's probably easier on Indian politicians if the jets they buy don't crash until after they engage in hostilities.
 
You don't deal from weakness, you deal from strength. Biden and Obama both dealt from weakness. They apologized for America being America and let weaker nations take advantage. Turkey is currently a NATO member and is a questionable friend at best. In the last couple of decades Turkey has sided with Iran rather than with the U.S or European nations. Not a country you can trust.
 
Stealers Wheel said:
Russia made them a better offer, simple as that.
Click to expand...
I think rather the latest gen aircraft and even older ones are becoming less strategically important of an air dominance asset in favor of the much more cost effective and adaptable drone one.
 

India was a little perturbed because we won't back them regarding their claims on Kashmir. Among other things. But they were friendly, and here is the thing. You expect them to be loyal, that isn't a realistic expectation of a friend in all circumstances. Those rare friends that will always side with you may be your best, but that doesn't mean that others are not friends.

You consider mutual respect to be a weakness. I don't. I was once waiting out a thunderstorm under an awning with a Hooker. I spoke to her and called her Ma'am. She told me that really wasn't necessary. I told her I start out treating people with respect, until they give me a reason to stop. She may have been a Hooker, but she was a person, and I treated her with the same respect I show anyone. I did so for the same reason you don't judging from your comments above. It was how I was raised.

Treating someone with Respect is not weakness. It is strength. It is the strength to know who you are, and how you will be. Honor is not determined by how you are treated. It is how you treat others.
 
Post #13


Provide examples of Biden's and Obama's "letting weaker nations take advantage" of the USA.

No generalizations - be specific, provide details.
 
America can't be trusted by anyone, anymore.
 
Neither are we!
 
bythoughts said:
It's probably easier on Indian politicians if the jets they buy don't crash until after they engage in hostilities.
Click to expand...
Some B-52s got hit with all kinds of shit, still made it home, and some still airworthy to this day.

A world super power has parts falling off their cutting edge fighter jet.

It's like Lockheed is taking Boeings lead. Just not from when Boeing produced the B-52.
 
Luce said:
Even after Trump is gone, the yahoos who voted for him will remain.
Click to expand...
Hopefully wiser. I won't comment on the nickname.
 
I hate for American workers to lose their jobs because of what the felon is doing but good on India and good on Canada.
 
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