IAF Chief AP Singh Jokes US Won’t Let India Near F-35 at Tarang Shakti

Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh used the platform of Exercise Tarang Shakti to make a pointed, if humorous, observation about the limits of India’s access to the US-made F-35 stealth fighter, even as New Delhi continues to discuss future fifth-generation combat aircraft options with partners abroad. Speaking in Jodhpur ahead of the two-week multinational exercise’s conclusion on October 12, Singh said the Indian Air Force had not been allowed close access to the American jet, despite talk of a possible sale to India.

His remarks came during a 45-minute media briefing attended by senior air force leaders from several countries, including General Kevin B Schneider, commander of US Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), who was seated next to the IAF chief. Singh said the issue had come up repeatedly in conversation and noted that there was, in his words, no formal offer from the United States for India to buy the F-35.

“I was telling the PACAF commander that your people don’t let us come anywhere close to the F-35, and you talk about selling it to us. There is no offer from the US for us to buy the F-35,” Singh said when asked whether Washington had officially offered the aircraft to India.

The comment highlighted a familiar tension in defence ties with the United States: growing operational cooperation through joint exercises, but tightly controlled access to some of Washington’s most sensitive military technologies. Last year, US President Donald Trump said Washington was paving the way for India to acquire F-35 fighters, but Singh’s remarks suggested that no formal proposal had been placed before New Delhi.

Schneider, responding to questions about the contrast between combined exercises and restricted access to high-end American platforms, said such decisions were governed by classification rules and security protocols.

“There are programme-level security classification guides that determine…what we’re able to share, when we share it, as well as how we protect it,” Schneider said.

He added that access to sensitive systems was not determined solely at his level. According to Schneider, such policies could change over time, but many decisions were made centrally to safeguard classified technologies and capabilities.

Singh later clarified that his remarks were made in a light-hearted spirit and should be understood as friendly banter between defence partners. He said the relationship between the two air forces was much like that of an extended family, where cooperation exists alongside clear boundaries on what can be shared.

“It’s like one family, an extended family, and an extended neighbourhood. You have your own boundaries for what you share and what you don’t share. So that continues everywhere,” Singh said.

Explaining the exchange further, the IAF chief said his comment about getting closer to the F-35 was meant as a friendly push for stronger cooperation. The interaction, he said, reflected the broader balance between increasing military engagement and the need to protect advanced defence technologies.

Exercise Tarang Shakti was notable for being the first time F-35 stealth fighters participated in an exercise in India. The United States deployed six of the aircraft to Jodhpur for the multinational drills, allowing visiting air forces to see the platform at the exercise venue, even though access to the aircraft itself remained restricted.

The episode has also revived attention on India’s broader fifth-generation fighter choices. Russia has been marketing its Su-57 aircraft to India, but no decision has been taken on that platform.

At the same time, India is pursuing its own stealth fighter through the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, or AMCA, programme. The project is intended to build indigenous capability in advanced combat aviation technology and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers for next-generation aircraft.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh underlined the programme’s importance during the event, saying, “Looking ahead, the AMCA programme is an important step towards mastering fifth-generation stealth fighter technology.”

The AMCA initiative is central to India’s longer-term effort to develop advanced domestic aerospace capabilities. The restrictions around the F-35 during Tarang Shakti, by contrast, reinforced the limits that can come with access to foreign stealth platforms and the strategic value New Delhi places on building such capability at home.

Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, who is due to retire on October 31, made the comments as the multinational exercise brought together air forces from around the world. IAF chief-designate Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit was also present at the briefing.