India Fighter Jet Choice: F-35 or Su-57?
On March 4, 2025, at 4:14 AM PST, India’s fighter jet choice looms—PM Narendra Modi’s February Washington meet with Donald Trump dangled F-35s, fifth-generation stealth jets ($80 million each), per BBC reports. Facing China’s 435-jet surge (2014-2024, ISS data) and a dwindling 31 squadrons (vs. 42 needed), India weighs the US’s AI-driven F-35 against Russia’s Su-57—or its own Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), X posts buzz. Trump’s “paving the way” pitch clashes with Modi’s “Make in India”—Ashley Tellis calls it “symbolic,” no co-production likely, per BBC. Russia’s Su-57, ditched in 2018 over tech disputes, fades as a contender, experts say.
The F-35’s cost, 51% uptime (Stephen Bryen’s Substack), and end-user curbs irk India; Su-57’s co-build collapse leaves AMCA—still a decade off—and 83 Tejas Mark 1As (plus 97 pending) as focus, per X. Rahul Bhatia of Eurasia notes delays—Tejas lags, GE F-404 engines stall—frustrating IAF’s AP Singh: “Numbers promised come slow,” he griped at a seminar. Aero India 2025 flaunted F-35 and Su-57, but Christopher Clary sees hype—India lost 151 jets since 2014, China gained 435. At 4:14 AM PST, India fighter jet choice teeters—homegrown or foreign stopgap?
India Fighter Jet Choice: Homegrown Hopes
India fighter jet choice—F-35’s flash vs. Su-57’s fade—leans on AMCA, Tejas. China’s edge looms; delays dog IAF. For more, visit BBC or Kenkou Land.
Main Body: A Sky-High Dilemma
Today, March 4, 2025, at 4:14 AM PST, India fighter jet choice pits US F-35s—Trump’s February offer to Modi—against Russia’s Su-57, per BBC. F-35’s stealth, AI dazzle ($80 million each); Su-57’s co-build flopped 2018—yet India’s 31 squadrons (down 151 since 2014, ISS) lag 42 needed, X posts fret. China’s 435-jet gain dwarfs Pakistan’s 31; IAF’s Sukhoi-30s age—AMCA, Tejas Mark 1A (83 ordered), Mark 2 aim to fill voids, per DRDO. Tellis doubts F-35 co-production—“straight sale” jars Modi’s vision, per X—while Su-57’s tech rift lingers, Bryen notes.
Singh’s “slow deliveries” rant—Tejas Mark 1A, due 2024, stalls on GE engines—echoes Bhatia’s “decades-long cycles” woe, per BBC. Rafale’s 36-jet buy (2019) leads $20 billion MRFA for 114 co-built jets—funding, delays hobble; AMCA’s $1 billion bet is 10 years out, per X. At 4:14 AM PST, India fighter jet choice—F-35’s cost, Su-57’s bust—tilts homegrown; Bhatia’s “long game” sees stopgaps, not splurges—China’s J-20, J-35 loom. Will India soar or stall? Stakes climb, per sentiment.
