Hillary Clinton makes "unbelievable" F-35 pitch to India

[angeldemon_007]

This report on Eurasia.net by the South Asia Analysis Group this morning on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to New Dehli last week raises some very big questions. Among them: If this is true, why didn't the US government offer the F-35 to India in the first place? And does the "unbelievable" description of the $65 million F-35 price tag imply a positive or negative connotation?

Hillary Clinton's Hits And Misses In India - Analysis

By Rajeev Sharma

The visiting United States Secretary of State Hillary, who held the second Indo-US Strategic Dialogue with her Indian counterpart S M Krishna in New Delhi on July 19, failed to give any concrete assurance to India on its concerns about Nuclear Suppliers' Group's recent hardening of ENR (Enrichment and Reprocessing) technology transfer terms ...

KEY EXCERPT:

Clinton is understood to have made a strong pitch for more US military sales to India, especially in the wake of American companies recently losing out in the race for a $ 10.4 billion order by the Indian Air Force for 126 fighter aircraft. She expressed her country's willingness to sell state-of-the-art F 35 warplanes to India at "unbelievable" prices. The Americans are understood to have asked the Indian government to open its purse strings for the Lockheed built fifth generation super stealth F-35 Lightning the basic model of which is being made available to India for $ 65 million apiece. The Indian defence establishment would naturally find the offer too good to be true as much inferior fourth generation French Rafale is priced at $ 85 million and Eurofighter Typhoon (also a fourth generation aircraft) at $ 125 million apiece. The American offer signals American desperation for capturing a big pie of the highly lucrative Indian defence market, especially after two top American fighter aircraft manufacturers - Lockheed (F-16) and Boeing (F-18) - got eliminated in the recent Indian MMRCA deal worth $ 10.4 billion. More clarity would have to emerge on the proposed F 35 Lightning sales to India.

The DEW Line

 

[luckyyy]

$65 million apiece is just for the airframe and parts LM makes , it do not includes many parts , engine as well as radar and other sensors which LM do not makes ..

 

[nomi007]

f-35 is too costly project
member of this project are decreasing their numbers to 20-25
2nd maintenance is big issue
that why usa need a fool
only 2 countries can help them
uae and india

 

[Mani2020]

How is it possible F-35 in $65million, What the hell!!! does US wants to sell in loss?

As far as i know the established 2011 costs for F-35 variants is as follow

F-35A = $122 Million

F-35B = $150 Million

F-35C = $139.5 Million

What this article mentions is not even half of the price of the above mentioned variants even a Block 52+ F-16 costs around $50 million

Even the partners in F-35 program are not getting F-35 in such a price then how could they can offer at such a low price
There might be a typo

 

[bhejafry]

The F-16 Block-60 would cost $60m, just for the aircraft, befort you add in cost for infrastructure, training, support.
The F-35 would cost much more than Europfighter/Rafale, be available much later when we would start receiving the PAK-FA anyway. Its of no use to India.

 

[53fd]

How is it possible F-35 in $65million, What the hell!!! does US wants to sell in loss?

As far as i know the established 2011 costs for F-35 variants is as follow

F-35A = $122 Million

F-35B = $150 Million

F-35C = $139.5 Million

What this article mentions is not even half of the price of the above mentioned variants even a Block 52+ F-16 costs around $50 million

Even the partners in F-35 program are not getting F-35 in such a price then how could they can offer at such a low price
There might be a typo

yeah, that surprised me too.

 

[SpArK]

Hilary can pitch whatever she wants... We are not gonna buy an American fighter without their policy change.

 

[tallboy123]

also keep in mind those agreements CISMOA,EUMA...

India will not sign any agreements....

 

[Skull and Bones]

How is it possible F-35 in $65million, What the hell!!! does US wants to sell in loss?

As far as i know the established 2011 costs for F-35 variants is as follow

F-35A = $122 Million

F-35B = $150 Million

F-35C = $139.5 Million

What this article mentions is not even half of the price of the above mentioned variants even a Block 52+ F-16 costs around $50 million

Even the partners in F-35 program are not getting F-35 in such a price then how could they can offer at such a low price
There might be a typo

$65-80 million is the basic fly-away cost of the airframe without weapons package, maintenance cost and training and will probably shipped with a downgraded radar.

 

[Zulfiqar_Ahmed]

Hillary is trying to lure India......after all US wants to fix up its current debt crisis

 

[Skull and Bones]

Hillary is trying to lure India......after all US wants to fix up its current debt crisis

How much can $10.4 billion contract helps in $14.7 trillion debt crisis?

 

[blackops]

Give us full tot codes for aesa radar no conditions to sign all the agreements and we will buy

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Give us full tot codes for aesa radar no conditions to sign all the agreements and we will buy

Lol./.. they didnt even give tht to the israelis or their partners in the F-35 prog!! so forget it...

 

[Skull and Bones]

Lol./.. they didnt even give tht to the israelis or their partners in the F-35 prog!! so forget it...

They provided Israeli F-35s with Plug-n-play features to integrate their own radar and avionics.

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

They provided Israeli F-35s with Plug-n-play features to integrate their own radar and avionics.

Israel is paying a premium to be allowed to plug their own kit, into the hardware that already exists on the jet.

Also the first 20 f-35s wont have an aesa... n their aesa n tech is "American"..... n is still under development n barred frm exporting to india by usa.