Washington
At a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump announced to sell ‘F-35’ stealth fighter jet to New Delhi. The move will include India in the specific club of countries with state -of -the -art stealth aircraft. According to media reports, this jet is considered one of the world’s most advanced jets. Therefore, this deal is a major victory for India. It is not yet clear when India will finally get F-35. It takes several years for foreign weapons deal to be finalized.
First of all, we understand who is called the stealth aircraft?
The stealth aircraft is designed to avoid radar, infrared and other types of electromagnetic radiation. Although it is difficult to avoid the radar completely, these aircraft are barely in the grip of radar as compared to other planes. F-35 is one such stealth plane developed by American company Lockheed Martin. The aircraft size is designed to remove radar energy from source, such as a slant mirror. Its surface is also mixed and smooth so that radar energy can easily flow it – just as the water flows on the smooth surface.
The F-35 fighter jet aircraft uses an F135 engine that produces a thrust of 40,000 pounds. With this, this MAC can reach high speed of 1.6 (1,200 mph). The cockpit of F-35 is different from other fighter aircraft; It does not have gauge or screen like other aircraft. It has large touchscreen and helmet-mounted display systems that make the pilot capable of looking and knowing real time information.
The helmet also allows the pilot to watch through the aircraft. This is possible due to the distributed aperture system (DAS) of F-35 and six infrared cameras installed strategically around the aircraft. The weapon capacity of F-35 fighter aircraft also ranges from 6,000 kg to 8,100 kg. However, experts say that the F-35’s firepower, but its computing power makes it different. This is why F-35 is known as a ‘quarterback in the sky’ or ‘a computer that fly’.
The aircraft is also heavy on other planes in terms of price. According to media reports, the cost per unit for F-35A is about 80 million dollars (Rs 695 crore), $ 115 million (Rs 10,005 crore) for A-35B and $ 110 million (Rs 9,622 crore) for F-35C (Rs 9,622 crore). . Each F-35 costs around $ 36,000 (Rs 31 lakh) per flight hour, making it one of the most expensive jets for operation. The US has sold these aircraft to allies like the United Kingdom, Israel, Japan, Australia and Italy.
It is not that this aircraft was not criticized. Alan Musk, head of the US Government Efficiency Department (DOGE), has made fun of F-35. Last November, the world’s richest man said, “Some stupids are still making manned fighter aircraft like F-35 in the drone era”. However, the then Air Force Secretary Frank Kendal defended the aircraft. He said during the webcast of the Air Force Association, “F-35 is not going to end as it is a state-of-the-art system that is being constantly upgraded.” He said that there is no option in the near future. We should continue to buy it.
The F-35 will help in increasing India’s fire in the sky, which will help him to deal with any danger, especially China and Pakistan. Currently, India has no fifth generation aircraft in its arsenal. The F-35 is also important because China has a J-35A aircraft. Some experts consider the F-35 deal to be an important moment of Indo-US defense relations. At the same time, some defense experts also believe that Trump has tried to weaken India’s intimate military relations with Russia by announcing the F-35 to India.