2023-06-22 22:05:00
With our correspondent in New Delhi, Sebastien Farcis
India has been trying to develop its own light fighter jets for decades. Even if its first model, called Tejas, has just been incorporated into the Air Force, its engines are not powerful enough to carry out advanced dogfights.
This agreement, which still needs to be ratified by the US Congress, is therefore a game-changer. General Electric Aerospace should share most of its know-how for the manufacture in India of its advanced engine, which equips other American F-18s. This will allow New Delhi to bolster its aging fleet at a lower cost, by producing these light aircraft locally instead of importing them.
Reduce military dependence on Russia
This is also in the interest of the United States, explains Sameer Patil, a researcher at the Observer Research Foundation. “ The goal appears to be to reduce India’s military dependence on Russia. India will now be able to produce its own fighters, or buy the best performing ones from the West he says.
Today, the majority of Indian fighter jets are of Russian design, and this heavy military reliance has been one of the reasons India has remained neutral in the conflict in Ukraine.
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