U.S. Restricts Indian Officials Access to F-35s During Tarang Shakti Exercises

The United States restricted Indian officials’ access to its F-35 Lightning II fighters during Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026, even as Indian pilots trained alongside the American stealth aircraft. Reporting by NDTV, Hindustan Times and The Times of India describes an exchange in Jodhpur that exposed the distinction between operational cooperation and access to sensitive military technology. Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said Indian personnel were not shown the cockpit, while the senior American commander explained that disclosure was governed by program-level security rules.