New Delhi: Since Independence, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has inducted fighter jets mostly from western superpowers into its fleet, barring one striking omission — the United States of America. Despite this exception, the IAF fleet does operate many American air systems. The first helicopters used by the IAF, the Sikorsky S-55, were American. Currently, the IAF operates US-made helicopters such as the AH-64 Apache and the CH-47 Chinook manufactured by defence conglomerate Boeing. The IAF also uses transport military aircraft from the US, these include the C-130 Hercules manufactured by Lockheed Martin and C-17 made by Boeing. However, the…