JD Vance pushes F-35s ‘to help IAF secure India’s airspace’ | India News

JAIPUR: While praising PM Modi repeatedly for his leadership, J D Vance said President Trump wanted to rebalance global trade, and not launch a trade war, as he believed this could produce benefits for not just the people of the US but also India. Urging India to consider acquiring F-35 fighter jets, the vice-president hardsold the fifth-generation American jets and said the aircraft would significantly enhance the Indian Air Force’s ability to secure the country’s airspace.
Referring to India as the US’s only “major defence partner” with whom the country shares defence infrastructure, technology, and planning on par with America’s other allies, Vance pointed to “dire” consequences for the world if India and the US “fail to keep pace” with the need to scale up across sectors, including manufacturing, energy, cutting-edge technologies, and defence.
Addressing a gathering of business leaders, diplomats, academicians, bureaucrats, state ministers, and students at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur, his only public engagement during his maiden four-day visit to India since assuming office as vice-president, Vance set the tone for a future-ready US-India partnership rooted in mutual respect and shared strategic interests.
He also contrasted Modi’s assertiveness with the previous US leadership. “President Trump and I know that PM Modi is a tough negotiator. He drives a hard bargain – it’s one of the reasons why we respect him,” he said. “We don’t blame Modi for fighting for Indian industry but we do hold previous American leaders accountable for failing to do the same for our workers. We believe that can change, to the mutual benefit of both the US and India,” Vance added.
He also referenced President Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, underscoring the clear shift in how the American administration now treats India. “Too often in the past, Washington approached PM Modi with an attitude of preachiness, or even condescension. Prior administrations saw India as a source of low-cost labour, even as they criticised the PM’s govt – arguably the most popular in the democratic world,” Vance said.
He also emphasised Modi’s political capital. “As I told PM Modi last night, he’s got approval ratings that would make me jealous,” Vance said.
Calling the US-India partnership “one of the closest in the world”, Vance highlighted the expanding US-India partnership spanning energy, defence, technology, and economic infrastructure. “From Javelins to Stryker combat vehicles, our nations will co-produce critical equipment – not to provoke war but to secure peace through mutual strength,” he said.
Vance added, “This designation means that India now shares with the UAE a defence in technology, infrastructure, and partnership with the US, on par with America’s closest allies and friends.” “It’s fitting that India this year is hosting the Quad Leaders Summit this fall. Our interests in a free, open, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific are in full alignment. Both of us know that the region must remain safe from any hostile powers that seek to dominate,” he said.
Vance also said India and the US have finalised the terms of reference for a bilateral trade agreement after a high-level meeting with PM Modi in Delhi on Monday. “This is a vital step toward realising President Trump’s and PM Modi’s vision,” he said, highlighting shared priorities of job creation, resilient supply chains, and prosperity for workers. Vance also urged India to ease non-tariff barriers that currently limit American market access and pitched increased US ethanol exports as a cleaner, cost-effective energy solution.
Welcoming Modi govt’s budget decision to amend India’s civil nuclear liability laws, which currently inhibit US firms from exporting small modular reactors or constructing larger US-designed nuclear plants in India, he said, “These reforms are vital for India’s energy goals and AI ambitions. There is no AI future without energy security and dominance.”
Vance, who is scheduled to fly back to Washington on Thursday, also stressed the importance of deepening energy ties. “Expanding energy exports will help India build more, make more, and grow more – all at lower energy costs,” he said. He also supported India’s energy exploration efforts and reaffirmed Washington’s interest in facilitating cleaner alternatives such as ethanol.