Sale of F-35 to India not on the table right now: US

[sancho]

You cannot deny that what we did with the USN is part of what is needed in terms of cost cutting.

I never did, but that was the replacment of several single role fighters with multi role once, developing F35 according the demands of 3 different forces and foreign partners is a whole different issue and that's what made F35 so complex and costly. Ordering more F22s and developing a naval version would have been cheaper and better for USAF and USN. You simply wanted to achieve too much with a single fighter development, especially by adding the F35B version for USMC. The result is a fighter that is neither cost-effective nor capable enough and the US forces have seen this with the V22 as well. Aimed to do too much at once, but such a complex development makes it expensive again.

 

[Fireaxe888]

Okay, I was exxagerating a bit. I'm sure the F-35 will turn out to be a capable aircraft when it finally enters service, better than any 4 or 4.5 gen aircraft in American or foreign service. Problem is it's had so many delays and cost overruns (I doubt the -B will even enter service) that, for India, the PAK FA is the better choice.

 

[tvsram1992]

Hi: 5th gen manned air superiority + 5th gen UCAV + B2 stealth bombers
Mid: modernised 4++ generation fighters and bombers (B1 / B52) as the baseline in higher numbers
Lo: UAVs + armed drones to support and as the most cost-effective alternative

For WOT what you say sounds good . For attacking Iran it might be a better option . But what about China ? With out stealth strike aircraft like F35 it couldnt even think of neutralizing Chinese bases at borders . B2s are very expensive and a destroyed B2 is pouring Billion $$$ in to garbage . More over there are only few B2s that cannot be used against China effectively . More over Short range QR SAMs possess great threat to B2 unless they are destroyed by escorts F22s . If any other aircraft is an escort there B2 would be tracked very easily . An F22 Naval version would be more expensive than F35 more over it will have very limited strike capabilities because of its primary air superiority nature . So S/VTOL F35B sounds good for USN carriers ops that include strike features , EW systems , with key 5th gen features . USN knows which type of aircraft it needs better than us right ?