During the official visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington, D.C., from February 12–13, 2025, US President Donald Trump pledged to provide India with Lockheed Martin F-35 fifth-generation fighter jets.  

The announcement is part of a broader initiative to strengthen economic ties between the two nations, with a long-term goal of increasing total bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. 

“We’ll be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars,” Trump told reporters. “We’re also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters.”  

In a joint statement, the United States confirmed that it is reviewing its policy regarding the sale of fifth-generation fighter jets to India. 

India’s defense modernization and shifting procurement strategy 

Since the early 2000s, India has been striving to enhance its domestic defense industry, a goal recently reinforced by Prime Minister Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) initiative.  

This has led to indigenous advancements such as the development of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas and the commissioning of the INS Vikrant aircraft carrier. However, India’s domestic defense production still struggles to meet operational requirements, necessitating continued imports. 

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