Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)

had said:
I find it worth noticing to see a F-35 in India (Country with S-400 systems) after the whole NDAA 2021/CAATSA thing.

Start of a softening stance in this regard? Or the reason why the F-35 will probably not fly there?
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Well, first of all the F-35 is wearing a Luneburg Lens or three, so whatever the S-400 is detecting isn't the F-35's true RCS.

Though I suspect that after the S-400's performance in Ukraine, the Indians aren't too happy.
 
Scott Kenny said:
Though I suspect that after the S-400's performance in Ukraine, the Indians aren't too happy.
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I imagine the Turks aren't thrilled either with how the SA-21 has performed in Ukraine, if they do ditch that system what are the odds they'll be readmitted into the F-35 programme?
 
Scott Kenny said:
Well, first of all the F-35 is wearing a Luneburg Lens or three, so whatever the S-400 is detecting isn't the F-35's true RCS.

Though I suspect that after the S-400's performance in Ukraine, the Indians aren't too happy.
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Fair enough. Then a potential sale to India would include the requirement for them to ditch the S-400? (They still getting some more delivered)
Could be, but it sounds like a hard requirement, especially if India has other options.

Genuine question, do the Norwegian Air Force (for instance) deploys its F-35 with a Luneburg Lens for NATO's Air Policing missions. Russia has still some S-400 stationed in Kaliningrad (acc. to France) and has upcoming (or already) navalised variants of the S-400.

Edit: Answering my own Air Policing question with Yes - https://theaviationist.com/2024/12/10/rnlaf-first-f-35-qra-baltic-air-policing-amari/
but adding the question - How will that work with Polish F-35s and Kaliningrad. With a fixed US-requirement to use them always with Lenses?
 
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Unlike the SH pylons, the F-35 pylons including the Sidewinder LAUs are aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis though.
 
Scott Kenny said:
Well, first of all the F-35 is wearing a Luneburg Lens or three, so whatever the S-400 is detecting isn't the F-35's true RCS.

Though I suspect that after the S-400's performance in Ukraine, the Indians aren't too happy.
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They don't even let Luneburg-lens wearing F-35s near Turkish airspace. And the S-400s that they made a big deal of are not even active. On top of that, there's still the CAATSA on Turkey that they haven't applied to India.

All the excuses that self-entitled America makes are political bullcr.p as always. What a way to treat your NATO ally, huh?
 
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That is a very naive way of reading international relationships. Obviously the S-400 was a welcomed excuse to punish Erdogan for his destructive behavior in regards of the Turkish Justice system, Freedom of expression and other external disagreements.

Luckily for Erdogan is the F-35 only for the US and camp follower nations a very great system (for Israel as well)
But I doubt he thought that through and it was more a panic reaction to get the S-400, in my opinion.

Again, I think we are seeing a little shift in the US stance regarding F-35 and S-400. Also the time has changed and nobody cares anymore for independent Justice systems and such.
 
snne said:
All the excuses that self-entitled America makes are political bullcr.p as always. What a way to treat your NATO ally, huh?
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Erdy was repeatedly warned not to acquire the SA-21 Growler and that there would be consequences for Turkish participation in the F-35 programme if he did, well he did and Turkey got frozen out. But now events in the Russo-Ukrainian war have shown that the SA-21 is not the shit-hot, super-duper SAM system that the Russians had boasted it was and now Erdy has a serious case of Buyer's remorse.
 
had said:
That is a very naive way of reading international relationships. Obviously the S-400 was a welcomed excuse to punish Erdogan for his destructive behavior in regards of the Turkish Justice system, Freedom of expression and other external disagreements.

Luckily for Erdogan is the F-35 only for the US and camp follower nations a very great system (for Israel as well)
But I doubt he thought that through and it was more a panic reaction to get the S-400, in my opinion.

Again, I think we are seeing a little shift in the US stance regarding F-35 and S-400. Also the time has changed and nobody cares anymore for independent Justice systems and such.
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I strongly disagree. I've already expressed my opinions in this thread; you can find them with a quick search.

I also hate Erdogan, but what gives America the right to interfere with Turkish internal affairs, especially when they don't interfere in the politics of their dictatorial or genocidal allies and do everything in their power to break international laws by supporting them to the end.
 
The US has always interfered in internal matters of weaker allies. India has other options (Russia) and with Israel it has a special kind of relationship.
 
snne said:
I strongly disagree. I've already expressed my opinions in this thread; you can find them with a quick search.

I also hate Erdogan, but what gives America the right to interfere with Turkish internal affairs, especially when they don't interfere in the politics of their dictatorial or genocidal allies and do everything in their power to break international laws by supporting them to the end.
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JSF is an Anglo-American airplane. They can decide to revoke the privilege of being able to buy it to anyone for literally any reason.
 

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