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The aircraft carries unmatched power. It carries guarded technology. America shares it only with nations that pass strict rules. Many countries want it, but only a few reach that level. The F-35 sits inside a tight ring of rules. Even Israel, Washingtons closest ally, follows limits. It is Americas best and most advanced fighter jet, which carries unmatched stealth and layers of locked technology. Where F-35 Lands, S-400 Gets Locked Out A story on simpleflying.com explains a truth known inside defence circles. The United States refuses the F-35 in any place that hosts a Russian S-400 air defence system. The rule holds firm. Turkey once learned this rule the hard way despite being a NATO member and holding military ties with Washington. Turkey still bought the Russian S-400. Warnings went out again and again. The United States saw a risk to the F-35, and Ankara lost its place in the F-35 programme. A Rs 20,000-Crore Ornament In Storage Turkey still holds the S-400. The system worth 2.5 billion dollars now gathers dust. Five years have passed without a single deployment. The S-400 remains locked inside storage rooms with no sign of use. Reports indicate that Ankara has begun to look back at the F-35 programme. The idea of returning feels tempting, and the weight of the missed opportunity grows heavier with each passing year. Huaweis 5G Towers Trigger F-35 Red Flags The F-35 stays away from any place where the United States senses Chinese influence. Huawei sits at the centre of this worry. Washington blocks Huawei from its own 5G network because of fears of surveillance. Australia follows the same path. New Zealand does the same. Britain also steps back from Huawei. In 2020, a debate began in Washington. Officials wondered if the United States should pause future F-35 deployments in Britain. Their concern pointed to Huawei towers and the data that travels through them. The same fear froze a planned sale of 50 F-35A jets to the UAE. The One Rule America Never Breaks The United States maintains a long-standing legal commitment to protect Israels qualitative military edge in the Middle East. This principle shapes every defence deal in the region. Tel Aviv receives 75 F-35A jets under this framework. Meanwhile, Arab nations remain outside the circle, with no F-35 access for Qatar, the UAE or Egypt. The regions airpower map has followed this pattern for years. Now a new chapter has begun as Saudi Arabia steps forward and seeks a place in the F-35 line. Taiwans Request Stays Frozen Spies decide choices too. America avoids selling the F-35 to nations that face deep infiltration. Taiwan stands in this zone. The island battles intense Chinese espionage. It once estimated a number. About 5,000 people work as spies for China, the 2017 assessment said. The number rings loud. The F-35 stays away from such risk. Trump Pushes F-35 Deal, Pentagon Hits Brakes A new proposal is now gathering momentum in Washington. President Trump is preparing to sell 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, a move that has already stirred unease inside the Pentagon. Senior defense officials warn that the transfer could expose some of the aircrafts most sensitive technology. Fresh assessments from the Defense Intelligence Agency highlight the purported risk. It says if Riyadh takes possession of the F-35, China could gain access to the jets stealth secrets through Saudi channels. Defence experts too have raised a serious concern, warning that a joint military exercise between Saudi Arabia and China could create an opening for technology leakage. During such exercises, Beijing might gain a chance to study the F-35s radar-evading contours, understand how its software behaves or observe the patterns of its sensors. Even small technical hints, they say, could help China strengthen its own J-20 stealth fighter. However, Trump appears resolute. He has publicly backed the sale, calling Saudi Arabia a strong ally and insisting that the partnership justifies the move. Worlds Costliest Fighter Ever Built Lockheed Martin manufactures the F-35 Lightning II. The production began in 2006 and entered service with the United States in 2015. The F-35s origins go back to the 1990s, when the United States set out to replace aging fighters such as F-16. The goal behind its creation was to build a jet that a single pilot could fly while handling both air combat and ground-strike missions in the same sortie. Over the years, it has grown into the most expensive weapons project in Pentagon history. The aircraft comes in three variants, and their prices range from Rs 700 crore to Rs 944 crore. Each hour of flight costs roughly Rs 31.20 lakh, highlighting how costly the jet is to operate. These prices reveal why the F-35 holds such a distinct and influential place in modern airpower. Indias F-35 Dilemma: Prestige vs Practicality A report by the Observer Research Foundation explores this question in detail. The United States is considering a plan under which India could receive an official proposal for the F-35A through a Foreign Military Sales agreement. In February 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Washington, where Trump raised the idea of selling the jet to India. But New Delhi offered no final answer. So far, the United States has sold more than 1,100 F-35s to 19 partner nations, but the aircraft may not be the perfect fit for India because of its high cost, maintenance requirements and limited technology transfer hurdles.