India F-21 Pushes Back From Russia – Moves Closer to U.S.

By Logan Williams, Warrior Editorial Fellow

Reuters reported, in a recent profile, that India is slowly and carefully extricating itself from Russia’s grasp.

In the past two decades, Russia has been the sole source for approximately two-thirds of India’s foreign weapons purchases. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been pursuing the continuation of this defense-industrial relationship.

However, the Modi Government has reportedly rejected such entreaties by his once-partner, Vladimir Putin, in favor of avoiding damaging India’s improving relationship with the United States.

Rather, Modi seems intent upon increasing cooperation with American defense companies, and upon plans to increase domestic production of Western-designed defense materiel, through agreements with the United States’ multinational defense corporations.

An excellent example of the U.S.–Indian defense cooperation comes from the Lockheed Martin F-21 concept. The F-21 is a new fighter jet designed by Lockheed Martin in concert with the Indian Air Force, specifically tailored to meet the unique challenges that India expects to face in the coming years, and intended to be built by Indian laborers in India’s manufacturing plants. While this airframe very much resembles an upgraded and upgunned F-16, its importance isn’t just due to its role as an offensive aircraft, rather, its importance emerges form its obvious geopolitical symbolism.

Part of the motivation for India’s defense realignment certainly comes from the toll that Russia’s monstrous invasion of Ukraine has taken upon its defense manufacturing capacity. India sincerely doubts that Russia can provide spare parts to repair Indian-owned equipment, let alone produce new weapons for India’s planned $100-billion of weapons-purchasing expenditures in the next decade.

Perhaps, even more importantly, India has witnessed the atrocious performance of Russia’s equipment during the brutal war against the existence of a free Ukrainian people.