It is theoretically possible that Russian operators/oem crews could've gleaned data on the F-35s radar signature and sent it back to HQ.
You'd recall that Isreali F-35Is stayed clear of Iranian airspace during last year's air strikes until they were able to suppress specific S-400 units in that country. This shows that the threat perception is high.
The first one is absolute BS.
The second one is just the normal way of doing things. There are no S-400s in Iran, only S-300s.
All that is a thing of the past. After the Abraham accords, there has been a considerable thaw in relations between UAE-Israel. The Isrealis have reportedly even deployed Iron Dome to protect Abu Dhabi and other locations in the UAE.
Trump may well clear F-35 for the UAE once Iran is put in its place.
In theory, we are approaching the 15-year mark. First Israeli F-35s were inducted in 2016. I supppose the Iran War can make things faster for the UAE alone, but officially they say they won't be buying the F-35 'cause the Americans shafted them, this is as of 2021.
This plays into the French F5 deal they had. And now that it stands canceled and Trump's back, plus Iran War, maybe things will get hot again.
Acquiring the F-35 would've meant USAF/oem trainers and maintenance crews on our frontline airbases relaying info on IAF ops during Op Sindoor in real time. Not to mention US gaining access to tactical data acquired by the F-35s during the course of ops and potentially tipping off their lackeys in Pak.
Similar concerns have also been raised about the 2 leased MQ-9Bs being operated by the IN. These are reportedly being flown by GA crews based in Arrakonnam, iirc.
The 15 new birds on order for the IN will likely also share MDA data with the US under Comcasa/Beca as part of 'intel sharing'.
US won't get access to IAF bases just because of the F-35. The way the EUM works, the US can only access bases that we allow. For example, if the US team comes to India to monitor F-35 activities, the planes can be brought to a venue that's not operationally important to India. Like Nagpur.
And no, there's no compulsion for India to share any intel. COMCASA is just an agreement to use American data links, it does not affect us in any operational capacity. BECA gives us access to military-grade GPS signals to operate the drones. This impacts only the drones. COMCASA and BECA in fact gives us access to their intel networks, air and sat network via CENTRIXS and SOSUS.
A lot of the criticisms against the foundational agreements are just BS.
