Now we have moved forward … India gave a befitting reply to America, the uneasiness of the white house increased. Why did tension increase in diplomacy between India and America amid deal of mig 21 from soviet union russia

After realizing the intentions of America, India took forward their steps and started talking to the then Soviet Union (today’s Russia) about MiG-21. The news of this deal increased the restlessness from Pentagon to White House. The US made several diplomatic efforts to prevent India from getting closer to the Soviet Union. The US Embassy in India and the State Department officials in Washington suggested to the White House that F-104 aircraft should be sold to India, so that it could not depend on Soviet weapons. He feared that if India bought weapons from the Soviet Union, the Soviet technician and advisor would get entry into Indian forces.

The then American Ambassador John Kenneth Gaelbrath had said that if India bought Soviet aircraft like MiG-21, the closeness of the Soviet trainer and technician coming with it will increase with Indian military officials. The documents of the US State Department also mentioned that if the US did not give enough support to India, India would turn to the Soviet Union. Galbrath wrote in a wire saying that the purchase of Soviet weapons will increase the influence of the Soviet Union in the Indian Army. In September 1962, a report by the US State Department claimed that the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was reluctant about the MiG deal.

However, in a conversation with reporters in London, Nehru admitted that the conversation on the MiG deal had progressed a lot. On the other hand, the Soviet Union also had many doubts in supplying MiG-21 to India. He had technical and political challenges in front of him. Soviet officials felt that India had limited capacity to manufacture supersonic fighter plans. In addition, Communist China strongly opposed the Soviet proposal to provide the facility to make India MiG-21. The US also tried to encourage India to reject the Soviet proposal. For this, US President John F. Kennedy had also approved India to sell India in nine C-130 transport aircraft.

However, all these efforts were unsuccessful. India not only included MiG-21 in its Air Force, but also started its massive creation in the facilities of Ozar near Nashik in Maharashtra and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Koraput, Odisha. MiG-21 increased the strength of the Indian Air Force and the aircraft remained its backbone for decades. The deal further strengthened military cooperation between India and the Soviet Union, which proved America’s concerns correct. Let us tell you that at that time India was an important strategic partner among global powers. Both America and the Soviet Union wanted to bring India in their favor.

While the US tried to connect India with itself through diplomatic pressure and attractive proposals, the Soviet Union won India’s trust by providing advanced fighter jets like MiG-21. This deal not only strengthened the Indian Air Force, but also made India-Soviyat relations extremely effective.