The Spares Safari: Why India is Buying Retired British Jets After Saying No to the Eurofighter
The Spares Safari: Why India is Buying Retired British Jets After Saying No to the Eurofighter If you follow military aviation, you might have noticed some head-turning headlines recently: India is acquiring second-hand fighter jets from the UK. At first glance, this sounds like a massive contradiction. After all, New Delhi famously walked away from the modern European Eurofighter Typhoon during its multi-role fighter acquisition programs, choosing the French Rafale instead. Why would the Indian Air Force (IAF)—the world's fourth-largest air force—reject Europe's premier, modern fighter, only to turn around and import decommissioned, decades-old British planes? The answer isn’t a change of heart about British technology. It’s a calculated, desperate move to keep an entirely different beast flying: the SEPECAT Jaguar . The Reality: These Aren't for Flying, They're for "Cannibalization" Let’s clear up the biggest misconception right away. The IAF isn't...