US President Donald Trump on February 14 said that the US will increase military sales to India by "many billions of dollars" beginning this year. He further confirmed that India will soon get the fifth generation F-35 stealth fighter jets during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"We are also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters. In 2017, my administration revived the Quad security partnership, and in our meeting today, the PM and I reaffirmed the strong cooperation between the US, India, Australia and Japan, and it is crucial really to maintain peace, prosperity, tranquility in the Indo-Pacific," the POTUS was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Produced by Lockheed Martin, the F-35 fighter jet program is one of the most expensive military projects in the US ever, with the total cost estimated to be at over $1.7 trillion. Operating an F-35 is also extremely cost, with each flight hour costing around $36,000.
What is so special about F-35 jet?
The F-35 jets are known to be the most-lethal, survivable, and connected fighter aircraft in the world. Besides this, the fighter aircraft is also special for its processing power, open architecture, sophisticated sensors, information fusion, and flexible communication links.
Moreover, these jets can operate without detection at supersonic speeds. The aircraft comes in three variants -- the F-35A for conventional takeoff and landing, primarily used by the US Air Force; the F-35B for short takeoff and vertical landing, operated by the US Marine Corps; and the F-35C, a carrier-based model built for the US Navy.
If India gets the fifth generation fighter, it will be the first country to operate an US fighter jet while without buying any US fighter jet in the last 75 years.
The aircraft has been ordered by program partner nations such as the UK, Italy, Norway, and Australia. Through the Department of Defense's Foreign Military Sales program, Japan, South Korea and Israel have also placed orders for the aircraft.
Trump calls Modi a 'tough negotiator', PM responds
Besides this, Trump also called Prime Minister Modi was a tougher negotiator than him. When asked who was a tougher negotiator between the two leaders, Trump said: "He (PM Modi) is a much tougher negotiator than me, and he is a much better negotiator than me. There is not even a contest."
Trump previously called Modi a "tough negotiator." Meanwhile, PM Modi also talked of the one thing he appreciates the most about the POTUS.
"One thing that I deeply appreciate, and I learn from President Trump, is that he keeps the national interest (of the US) supreme. Like him, I also keep the national interest of India at the top of everything else," Modi said.