Double Standards? U.S. Treats S-400 Users Türkiye and India Very Differently on F-35 Sales

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) –Few things expose the United States’ blatant “Double Standards” more than its decision to offer the cutting-edge, fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter jets to India.”

Washington’s decision to sell F-35 fighter jets to India is yet another glaring example of the superpower’s hypocrisy in foreign relations and military alliances—no matter how vehemently it denies such double standards.

“We will be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We are also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighter,” former U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters.

Prior to this, Trump had met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House a few days earlier.

But why is Trump’s offer to sell the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets to India seen as a double standard?

The answer lies in India’s operation of Russia’s long-range S-400 “Triumf” air defense system.

When NATO member Türkiye dared to acquire the S-400 air defense system from Russia, it was met with the full force of U.S. military sanctions.

Washington wasted no time in punishing Ankara—expelling it from the prestigious F-35 development program and slamming the door shut on its plans to acquire the cutting-edge stealth fighters.

This drastic retaliation came after Türkiye inked a deal with Moscow in 2017 to procure the S-400 system, a move that sent shockwaves through NATO and provoked Washington’s wrath.

Yet, just years earlier, Türkiye had been a trusted partner in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program, having signed on in 2002 with high hopes of securing a dominant air force for decades to come.

As a second-tier partner in the F-35 initiative, Ankara had invested heavily, planning to acquire at least 100 F-35A jets to bolster its aerial might.

But in the end, that vision was shattered, and Türkiye found itself cast aside—its dream of flying the world’s most advanced fighter jet crushed by Washington’s iron-fisted response.

“Türkiye had already sunk a staggering $1.6 billion into the F-35 program, believing it was securing its place among the world’s elite air forces.

But instead of soaring through the skies, six fully built F-35s—originally destined for Türkiye—now sit abandoned in hangars, gathering dust, their pilots never to take the helm.

Yet Washington’s punishment didn’t stop there.

Beyond brutally severing Türkiye from the F-35 program, the U.S. tightened the noose even further, slapping Ankara with crippling military sanctions under the CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act)—all because it dared to buy the Russian-made S-400 defense system.

What was once a partnership turned into an ultimatum, and ultimately, Türkiye was left with nothing but a costly betrayal.“

In stark contrast, India has faced no military sanctions from Washington for purchasing the same Russian S-400 system. Instead, the U.S. has been eagerly inviting India to buy the F-35 fighter jets.

The stark difference in treatment between Türkiye and India is evident.

India and Russia signed a $5.43 billion contract in October 2018 for five S-400 units. The first delivery arrived in India by the end of 2021, with the remaining systems scheduled for phased deliveries.

Why, then, is the U.S. willing to sell the F-35 to India despite its use of the Russian S-400 system—the very reason Türkiye was barred from the program?

Türkiye was banned from purchasing the F-35 due to its acquisition of the Russian S-400 system, but India, which also operates the S-400, is being welcomed as a potential buyer of the same advanced fighter jet. The irony is striking.

As India’s domestic defense industry grapples with the monumental challenge of developing its own fifth-generation fighter jet, the stakes have never been higher.

Meanwhile, its longtime adversary, Pakistan, is poised to field not one, but two next-generation fighters—the Turkish-made KAAN and China’s J-35A—in the coming years.

Against this backdrop, Trump’s offer to equip India with the formidable F-35 is nothing short of a game-changer, one that New Delhi will likely embrace with open arms.

Yet, the battle for India’s skies is far from decided.

Lockheed Martin and the U.S. are up against a fierce competitor—Russia, India’s longtime defense partner, which is aggressively pushing its own fifth-generation war machine, the Su-57 Felon.

Not stopping there, Russia has upped the ante, sweetening the deal with a tempting offer: local production of the Su-57 on Indian soil—a strategy reminiscent of the Su-30MKI program that cemented Moscow’s influence in the Indian Air Force.”

India currently operates over 270 Su-30MKI fighter jets, the backbone of the Indian Air Force (IAF), with 250 of them locally built by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

The competition between the U.S. F-35 and Russia’s Su-57 to win India’s favor will be an intriguing development to watch in the coming years.

— DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA