F-22 not to join Aero India show on final day
11 Feb 2011
Stealth fighter F-22, the US fifth-generation aircraft, will not be participating in the final day's air show during Aero India 2011, which is under way at the Yelahanka Air Force station in Bangalore.
According to Lockheed Martin, F-22 Raptor manufacturer, the fighter aircraft would not be coming to India for the Aero India 2011 that began on Wednesday.
Denying that the F-22 would fly or be showcased as a static display, Jack Giese of Lockheed Martin communication team said the aircraft was not coming to India and to the best of his knowledge it would not be showcased on the last day of Aero India.
According to the reports in the media, two F-22s were to debut during Aero India 2011 in Bangalore. A Chinese news agency quoted an Indian defence ministry official as confirming that F-22 was likely to participate in the air show.
The F-22 is the most advanced stealth fighter in the world.
The aircraft was commissioned into the US Air Force in December 2005, and is capable of carrying out the tasks of air- to-air and air-to-ground attacks with the precision-guided weapons.