I am sorry, what are you trying to say? New fighter does not need IAF, its other way around.
New Indian Air Force Fighter competition
- Thread starter jaffo4011
- Start date
I am sorry, what are you trying to say? New fighter does not need IAF, its other way around.
Thanks for that Kam - it puts it in perspective. One thing that seems to be common in every country is just how much our politicians amaze us with their ability to stuff up what should be straightforward projects. I'm not sure if they just like complexity or if they really want to cause delays so they can still promise a 'new' project at the next election.
If the IAF had been allowed to purchase the Mirage 2000s they would now be in a position where they could wait until they are ready to move to a 5th generation aircraft, like the F-35 for example, for their next acquisition.
Cheers
from a technological point of view the lca project is relatively new ,since the development actually started in the 90's,it's been in development for 15 years ,the ef2000 and the french rafale have also had similiar development times,but with some crashes.
Scorpion82
New Member
Only one Eurofighter prototype has crashed not more not less. You have also to consider that Rafale and Eurofighter are flying much longer and there much more aircraft which has flown significantly more flight hours. That isn't comparable to what Tejas has achieved so far. Lets wait how the situation is when Tejas enters service and has locked similar many flight hours.
A
Aussie Digger
Guest
An in-service AESA radar system is apparently a "key" requirement for India's MRCA. Hence the new push for the F/A-18E/F for India. The fact that we've just bought it and Malaysia is still strongly considering it, may also help...
Costing thoughts
The announcement today that Australia is buying 24 Super Hornets ,its first export success, will not harm its prospects . I do not know how strong the Indian rupia is, but the cost to Oz of $6bill over 10 years might send the Indian experts quickly to their currency calculators. I know the figure covers more than just the plane itself but it is a lot of money, maybe the Indians have plenty.
they certainly have and i dont believe a last generation fighter aircraft is what they will spend it on......
It's 6 billion Australian dollars, which is fewer rupees than the same number of US dollars.
Thanks for clarifying, I almost fell of the chair thinking $6 billion for 24 F-18s.
. Does the Australian contract includes extended spares/logistics support too? (like the Canadian contract for C-17s).Thanks for clarifying, I almost fell of the chair thinking $6 billion for 24 F-18s.
Yes. I think the quoted cost includes 10 years of support.
the value of the indian mrca programme is conservatively placed at 9-12 billion dollars with a probable increase upto 15 billion dollars of which about 30% would be offsets.
hey guys check out these interesting articles on the mig35 and the zhuk aesa radars,the links also contain images of these and particularly the mig35 cockpit looks quite modern.
here are the links:
http://www.defense-update.com/products/m/mig35.htm
http://www.defense-update.com/features/du-1-07/aesaradar_zhuk_AE.htm
here are the links:
http://www.defense-update.com/products/m/mig35.htm
http://www.defense-update.com/features/du-1-07/aesaradar_zhuk_AE.htm
A
Aussie Digger
Guest
Thanks for clarifying, I almost fell of the chair thinking $6 billion for 24 F-18s.
Yes, plus an extensive weapons (AIM-120, AIM-9X, AGM-154 JSOW, JDAM and possibly SLAM-ER) and sensor (ATFLIR, "rear seat" JHMCS) package, that as yet is unannounced...
hey guys,here is an interesting article ,highlighting the various features of the russian mig35 which is on offer to india for the 126 aircraft mrca contract.
here is the link and article:
http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20070228-110816-7985r
MOSCOW, March 8 (UPI) -- One of the highlights of the recent visit to India by President Vladimir Putin and First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, the previous defense minister, was a discussion on the prospects for the delivery and licensed production in India of the latest Russian MiG-35 Fulcrum-F fighter jet.
The plane made its first appearance abroad at the Aero India-2007 air show, while in Russia it was shown to the public for the first time in January in Lukhovitsy outside Moscow, where the MiG firm's key manufacturing facility is located.
One of the high points of the MiG-35 is its RD-33 vectored-thrust engine, earlier tested on the MiG-29 Fulcrum-A, which gives the fighter its main quality -- maneuverability. The thrust can be controlled in every direction and, most importantly of all, at every speed between the maximum and very low. The plane can fly with its tail forward and do things conventional aircraft cannot do, i.e. evade a missile attack in a dogfight and at the same time move in for the kill itself.
The MiG-35 is the first Russian fighter to have a new, fifth-generation, radar. Called the Zhuk-AE, it features an active phased array antenna developed specially for the fifth-generation fighter. This antenna makes the radar multi-functional. While sending out and receiving signals the radar can also act as a communication system, identify friend or foe, engage in electronic reconnaissance, jam enemy radar, and much more.
The MiG-35 differs from its predecessors (the MiG-29K and MiG-29M2) in having not only a new radar but also the latest optoelectronics. Its digital controls are state-of-the-art. The plane can carry up to 6 metric tons of combat payload to deal with an airborne enemy and strike ground and sea targets.
The MiG-35 is Russia's entry in an Indian government tender for 126 medium-sized, multi-role combat aircraft. Rosoboronexport thinks its chances of winning will be increased by a contract to be signed by the Intergovernmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation for the licensed manufacture of series-3 RD-33 engines in India.
The value of the deal, according to Rosoboronexport's CEO, Sergei Chemezov, will be about $300 million. The engines will be produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), an Indian corporation, with the technical assistance of the Chernyshev Moscow Engineering Plant. Initially, the plan is to assemble the engines from large components to be supplied by Russia. Later, Indian plants will start making components themselves and assembling them.
The MiG corporation also has good chances to increase deliveries of the MiG-29KUB carrier-based fighter to India. Like the MiG-35, it is designed to win command of the air, provide air defense, and engage targets above and under water with conventional and high-precision weapons day and night in all weather. The official presentation of the fighter's export version, attended by the air and naval attaches and other staff of the Indian Embassy in Moscow, took place on January 22 at the airport of the Gromov Institute of Flight Research in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, practically on the eve of Putin and Ivanov's visit to India.
Trials of the MiG-29KUB began as the Indian government decided to build new Air Defense Ship, or ADS, aircraft carriers, which displace 40,000 metric tons and can handle Russian fighters. The first ship is scheduled to enter service in 2012.
The MiG-29KUB's designer, Nikolai Buntin, says the new model features improved characteristics, more reliable units, a larger fuel supply, and greater combat payload. The cost of one flying hour has been reduced by more than 50 percent, and its flying life increased by over 100 percent. And, of course, advanced technologies have been used in the manufacture of the airframe, the propulsion unit and airborne equipment. The proportion of composite materials in the frame is now as high as 15 percent. The aircraft is equipped with new RD-33MK engines called the Sea Wasp. Compared with the previous model, their thrust has been increased by 7 percent and their service life to 4,000 hours. The engine is digitally controlled, and there are plans to develop new versions of it jointly with India.
As it was presented on January 22, the MiG-29KUB looks to remain at the forefront of the industry for the next 15 to 20 years as far as its intellectual innards are concerned, which are built as an open architecture and module system. This arrangement makes for easy addition of extra airborne equipment and modification without major changes.
The second prototype of the MiG-29KUB is currently being assembled. Both planes will undergo certification tests, which will last six months. The planes are not included among the 16 deck-based jets to be supplied to the Indian navy under a January 2004 contract. India is later planning to buy another 30 jets for aircraft carriers of its own manufacture.
India is certain to remain Russia's key partner in military-technical cooperation for a long time to come. And, as Sergei Ivanov said, Russia and India are now advancing to a new qualitative level of cooperation -- from a "seller-buyer relationship to joint research and co-production."
here is the link and article:
http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20070228-110816-7985r
MOSCOW, March 8 (UPI) -- One of the highlights of the recent visit to India by President Vladimir Putin and First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, the previous defense minister, was a discussion on the prospects for the delivery and licensed production in India of the latest Russian MiG-35 Fulcrum-F fighter jet.
The plane made its first appearance abroad at the Aero India-2007 air show, while in Russia it was shown to the public for the first time in January in Lukhovitsy outside Moscow, where the MiG firm's key manufacturing facility is located.
One of the high points of the MiG-35 is its RD-33 vectored-thrust engine, earlier tested on the MiG-29 Fulcrum-A, which gives the fighter its main quality -- maneuverability. The thrust can be controlled in every direction and, most importantly of all, at every speed between the maximum and very low. The plane can fly with its tail forward and do things conventional aircraft cannot do, i.e. evade a missile attack in a dogfight and at the same time move in for the kill itself.
The MiG-35 is the first Russian fighter to have a new, fifth-generation, radar. Called the Zhuk-AE, it features an active phased array antenna developed specially for the fifth-generation fighter. This antenna makes the radar multi-functional. While sending out and receiving signals the radar can also act as a communication system, identify friend or foe, engage in electronic reconnaissance, jam enemy radar, and much more.
The MiG-35 differs from its predecessors (the MiG-29K and MiG-29M2) in having not only a new radar but also the latest optoelectronics. Its digital controls are state-of-the-art. The plane can carry up to 6 metric tons of combat payload to deal with an airborne enemy and strike ground and sea targets.
The MiG-35 is Russia's entry in an Indian government tender for 126 medium-sized, multi-role combat aircraft. Rosoboronexport thinks its chances of winning will be increased by a contract to be signed by the Intergovernmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation for the licensed manufacture of series-3 RD-33 engines in India.
The value of the deal, according to Rosoboronexport's CEO, Sergei Chemezov, will be about $300 million. The engines will be produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), an Indian corporation, with the technical assistance of the Chernyshev Moscow Engineering Plant. Initially, the plan is to assemble the engines from large components to be supplied by Russia. Later, Indian plants will start making components themselves and assembling them.
The MiG corporation also has good chances to increase deliveries of the MiG-29KUB carrier-based fighter to India. Like the MiG-35, it is designed to win command of the air, provide air defense, and engage targets above and under water with conventional and high-precision weapons day and night in all weather. The official presentation of the fighter's export version, attended by the air and naval attaches and other staff of the Indian Embassy in Moscow, took place on January 22 at the airport of the Gromov Institute of Flight Research in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, practically on the eve of Putin and Ivanov's visit to India.
Trials of the MiG-29KUB began as the Indian government decided to build new Air Defense Ship, or ADS, aircraft carriers, which displace 40,000 metric tons and can handle Russian fighters. The first ship is scheduled to enter service in 2012.
The MiG-29KUB's designer, Nikolai Buntin, says the new model features improved characteristics, more reliable units, a larger fuel supply, and greater combat payload. The cost of one flying hour has been reduced by more than 50 percent, and its flying life increased by over 100 percent. And, of course, advanced technologies have been used in the manufacture of the airframe, the propulsion unit and airborne equipment. The proportion of composite materials in the frame is now as high as 15 percent. The aircraft is equipped with new RD-33MK engines called the Sea Wasp. Compared with the previous model, their thrust has been increased by 7 percent and their service life to 4,000 hours. The engine is digitally controlled, and there are plans to develop new versions of it jointly with India.
As it was presented on January 22, the MiG-29KUB looks to remain at the forefront of the industry for the next 15 to 20 years as far as its intellectual innards are concerned, which are built as an open architecture and module system. This arrangement makes for easy addition of extra airborne equipment and modification without major changes.
The second prototype of the MiG-29KUB is currently being assembled. Both planes will undergo certification tests, which will last six months. The planes are not included among the 16 deck-based jets to be supplied to the Indian navy under a January 2004 contract. India is later planning to buy another 30 jets for aircraft carriers of its own manufacture.
India is certain to remain Russia's key partner in military-technical cooperation for a long time to come. And, as Sergei Ivanov said, Russia and India are now advancing to a new qualitative level of cooperation -- from a "seller-buyer relationship to joint research and co-production."
hey guys,check out this link ,it is an interesting article which gives some information about the status of the mrca project.
here is the link and the article:
http://www.domain-b.com/aero/20070327_mrca_contract.htm]
Given the spate of announcements regarding fresh procurements for a range of defence equipment by India's defence services, the long pending request for proposal (RFP) for the Indian Air Force's (IAF) 126 multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) order has now come strongly into the spotlight. The IAF had projected its requirement for these aircraft as far back as 2001. Six years later, with scores of fighter aircraft crashes and pilot deaths behind it, the service is still waiting for the RFP to be issued.
The high drama attending the recently concluded Aero India 2007 show, at Air Force Station Yelahanka, Bangalore, has also served to bring the issue into the public domain. It was indeed a unique experience for this country to find all the big guns of the global arms market making their anxiety about bagging the IAF contract so obvious.
A discerning observer would have been amused by the incredible variety of arms and systems that were now available for India's asking. Nothing, it seemed, was taboo any more - for a 'pariah' nation that not so far back in time was struggling under sanctions imposed by these very same Western countries. Companies, and countries, tripped over themselves on a daily basis offering the very best of the goodies that they possibly could – AWACS, Patriot missiles, AEGIS, Eurofighter, AESA radar – nothing was sacrosanct anymore. All available, if only India should say yes.
Underpinning all the offers, however, was one overriding anxiety - the IAFs MRCA contract. The tender, possibly the most sought after in the global arms market today, is now set to become alive as the ministry of defence goes about preparing the RFP.
Soon after the air show concluded, a media report, quoting sources, said that the ministry of defence was hastening to put the finishing touches to offset clauses in the RFP and that the revised RFP would be ready by March 31 this year, as promised by the defence minister. The revised RFP would be expected to emphasise lifecycle costs, air refueling capability as well as the aircraft's long-range characteristics.
The contract itself is expected to be worth at least $11 billion over its lifetime.
A steady depletion …
The IAF's demand for new fighters, to replace gradually eroding force levels, is not only one of long standing - a matter that would have merited concern in its own right - but the fact that the force has lost a large number of fighter pilots over the years has also added an urgency as well as an emotive tinge to the issue.
The MRCA also acquired an added edge with the US Government decision to sell 36 new F-16C/Ds to Pakistan. This fresh batch will add to the 40 F-16s originally supplied to Pakistan - 32 of which are still flying. For the first time, these new F-16s will also be equipped with beyond-visual-range (BVR) missiles.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has already phased out about half a dozen of its MiG series of combat squadrons in the past couple of years - the latest phase out being one of an MiG-23MF squadron in the second week of March this year. Consequently, the present strength of the IAF fighter squadrons is now down to about 30, down from 39, which was declared as a minimum requirement a couple of years ago by the then chief of air staff. A much smaller country, Pakistan, fields about 18 fighter squadrons, or about two thirds of what India has. Given China's vastly expanded, and upgraded, capabilities on the other side of our frontiers, this is a tricky situation for the air force.
According to some estimates, the current ratio for fighter aircraft vis-à-vis Pakistan favours India by 1:2.17. If the Indian Air Force's aged MiG fleet is discounted, the ratio comes down to 1:1.79. The crunch lies in the fact that the induction of 40 new F-16s by Pakistan will further reduce the ratio to 1:1.15. If you factor in China, which fields similar Su-30s (the MKK version) as the IAF, you can guess the predicament that the IAF finds itself in.
…but also an accretion
"While there is a lag in the procurements vis-à-vis the phasing out, it is not alarming," says air chief marshal SP Tyagi. "The proposed compression of the delivery schedule of HAL-built Su-30MKI aircraft will help check the depletion. We also plan to procure additional squadrons of fighter aircraft. We are upgrading our older fleets to effectively utilise them over their remaining service life."
The IAF has received Government sanction for an additional 40 Su-30MKI aircraft, over and above the numbers originally ordered for these aircraft, last year. Though no dates have been announced for their arrival it would appear that they would be put on a fast track delivery mode.
Delivery of the HAL assembled MKI versions will also be speeded up, with some reports suggesting that the numbers produced would be increased from eight per annum to 12. The number of MiG-21 BiS squadrons (upgraded versions) will be increased, while deliveries of the upgraded Darin II Jaguar ground attack jets by HAL have begun.
Induction of force multipliers like laser-guided and other precision guided munitions, standoff weapons, better radars and longer-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has also been speeded up.
The IAF is already operating six Il-78 Flight Refuelling Aircraft (FRAs), which extend the range and staying power of the SU-30MKIs, Mirage 2000s, Jaguars and MiG-29s. The pending induction of three Israeli Phalcon AWACs, mounted on Uzbek supplied IL-76 aircraft, starting later this year, are the other force multipliers.
Critically, as far as the MiG-21 'Flying Coffin' controversy goes, the IAF would appear to have licked the problem. It reported no MiG-21 crashes for 2006 and now boasts of the lowest accident rates, at par with the best maintained air forces in the world.
In the running
A request for information (RFI) was sent out for four jets in 2004 - the Lockheed Martin's F-16, the MiG-29OVT, the Dassault Mirage 2000-5 and the SAAB JAS-39 Gripen. The list subsequently expanded and now includes Boeing's F/A-18 Hornet and the four-nation Eurofighter Typhoon. Dassault's Rafale is a likely contender in place of the Mirage 2000-5, while the MiG-29 OVT has been replaced by the re-designated MiG-35.
The Europeans and the Russians have a presence of long standing in the country. If the Russians are banking on their long-standing relationship with the Indian armed forces, and the manifest capabilities of the MiG-35, to help them land the MRCA contract, then their long standing rivals, the US companies, are pinning their hopes on a freshly developed coziness in the relationship between the two countries to see them through. The US administration and companies have made their intentions to enter the strategically and commercially important Indian market very clear.
So, the face off for the MRCA contract is now between West European, Russian and the US companies - and by extension, the nations backing them. Converting, what at best had always been a two-pony race between European and Russian manufacturers, into a three way face off, with US companies now stepping in as the spoilers, could also be considered as a singular achievement for the Indian defence planners.
If arms deals provide technologically advanced nations the wherewithal to arm-twist client nations in times of crisis, the forthcoming Indian contract is making them sweat. Contracts as big as the IAF tender not only spell big money for companies but also translate into a lot of jobs for national economies and so it is not surprising that nations are throwing their weight behind 'national' companies. The arm-twisting can happen now - by India.
By the time they sign on the dotted line, it is likely that these countries, and companies, would have given away enough to preempt any arm-twisting in the future. This would, of course, depend on the integrity and commitment of our defence planners. So far, as the game is playing itself out, the signs are good – but then, as they say, there is always many a slip between the lip and the cup.
If the MRCA order should be issued now the new planes are expected to arrive only by 2010. A order starved MiG RAC, however, promises a shorter delivery schedule, for there are no backlogs for it to clear - it has no orders other than the 18 odd MiG-29K for the Indian Navy. It also says that the MiG-35 is ready for series production.
The cost estimates range from $6-11 billion (Rs265-485 billion) over the life of the contract.
More than the money, it may be the strategic value of the contract - with India emerging as a likely super power - that competing nations may actually be hankering after.
here is the link and the article:
http://www.domain-b.com/aero/20070327_mrca_contract.htm]
Given the spate of announcements regarding fresh procurements for a range of defence equipment by India's defence services, the long pending request for proposal (RFP) for the Indian Air Force's (IAF) 126 multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) order has now come strongly into the spotlight. The IAF had projected its requirement for these aircraft as far back as 2001. Six years later, with scores of fighter aircraft crashes and pilot deaths behind it, the service is still waiting for the RFP to be issued.
The high drama attending the recently concluded Aero India 2007 show, at Air Force Station Yelahanka, Bangalore, has also served to bring the issue into the public domain. It was indeed a unique experience for this country to find all the big guns of the global arms market making their anxiety about bagging the IAF contract so obvious.
A discerning observer would have been amused by the incredible variety of arms and systems that were now available for India's asking. Nothing, it seemed, was taboo any more - for a 'pariah' nation that not so far back in time was struggling under sanctions imposed by these very same Western countries. Companies, and countries, tripped over themselves on a daily basis offering the very best of the goodies that they possibly could – AWACS, Patriot missiles, AEGIS, Eurofighter, AESA radar – nothing was sacrosanct anymore. All available, if only India should say yes.
Underpinning all the offers, however, was one overriding anxiety - the IAFs MRCA contract. The tender, possibly the most sought after in the global arms market today, is now set to become alive as the ministry of defence goes about preparing the RFP.
Soon after the air show concluded, a media report, quoting sources, said that the ministry of defence was hastening to put the finishing touches to offset clauses in the RFP and that the revised RFP would be ready by March 31 this year, as promised by the defence minister. The revised RFP would be expected to emphasise lifecycle costs, air refueling capability as well as the aircraft's long-range characteristics.
The contract itself is expected to be worth at least $11 billion over its lifetime.
A steady depletion …
The IAF's demand for new fighters, to replace gradually eroding force levels, is not only one of long standing - a matter that would have merited concern in its own right - but the fact that the force has lost a large number of fighter pilots over the years has also added an urgency as well as an emotive tinge to the issue.
The MRCA also acquired an added edge with the US Government decision to sell 36 new F-16C/Ds to Pakistan. This fresh batch will add to the 40 F-16s originally supplied to Pakistan - 32 of which are still flying. For the first time, these new F-16s will also be equipped with beyond-visual-range (BVR) missiles.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has already phased out about half a dozen of its MiG series of combat squadrons in the past couple of years - the latest phase out being one of an MiG-23MF squadron in the second week of March this year. Consequently, the present strength of the IAF fighter squadrons is now down to about 30, down from 39, which was declared as a minimum requirement a couple of years ago by the then chief of air staff. A much smaller country, Pakistan, fields about 18 fighter squadrons, or about two thirds of what India has. Given China's vastly expanded, and upgraded, capabilities on the other side of our frontiers, this is a tricky situation for the air force.
According to some estimates, the current ratio for fighter aircraft vis-à-vis Pakistan favours India by 1:2.17. If the Indian Air Force's aged MiG fleet is discounted, the ratio comes down to 1:1.79. The crunch lies in the fact that the induction of 40 new F-16s by Pakistan will further reduce the ratio to 1:1.15. If you factor in China, which fields similar Su-30s (the MKK version) as the IAF, you can guess the predicament that the IAF finds itself in.
…but also an accretion
"While there is a lag in the procurements vis-à-vis the phasing out, it is not alarming," says air chief marshal SP Tyagi. "The proposed compression of the delivery schedule of HAL-built Su-30MKI aircraft will help check the depletion. We also plan to procure additional squadrons of fighter aircraft. We are upgrading our older fleets to effectively utilise them over their remaining service life."
The IAF has received Government sanction for an additional 40 Su-30MKI aircraft, over and above the numbers originally ordered for these aircraft, last year. Though no dates have been announced for their arrival it would appear that they would be put on a fast track delivery mode.
Delivery of the HAL assembled MKI versions will also be speeded up, with some reports suggesting that the numbers produced would be increased from eight per annum to 12. The number of MiG-21 BiS squadrons (upgraded versions) will be increased, while deliveries of the upgraded Darin II Jaguar ground attack jets by HAL have begun.
Induction of force multipliers like laser-guided and other precision guided munitions, standoff weapons, better radars and longer-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has also been speeded up.
The IAF is already operating six Il-78 Flight Refuelling Aircraft (FRAs), which extend the range and staying power of the SU-30MKIs, Mirage 2000s, Jaguars and MiG-29s. The pending induction of three Israeli Phalcon AWACs, mounted on Uzbek supplied IL-76 aircraft, starting later this year, are the other force multipliers.
Critically, as far as the MiG-21 'Flying Coffin' controversy goes, the IAF would appear to have licked the problem. It reported no MiG-21 crashes for 2006 and now boasts of the lowest accident rates, at par with the best maintained air forces in the world.
In the running
A request for information (RFI) was sent out for four jets in 2004 - the Lockheed Martin's F-16, the MiG-29OVT, the Dassault Mirage 2000-5 and the SAAB JAS-39 Gripen. The list subsequently expanded and now includes Boeing's F/A-18 Hornet and the four-nation Eurofighter Typhoon. Dassault's Rafale is a likely contender in place of the Mirage 2000-5, while the MiG-29 OVT has been replaced by the re-designated MiG-35.
The Europeans and the Russians have a presence of long standing in the country. If the Russians are banking on their long-standing relationship with the Indian armed forces, and the manifest capabilities of the MiG-35, to help them land the MRCA contract, then their long standing rivals, the US companies, are pinning their hopes on a freshly developed coziness in the relationship between the two countries to see them through. The US administration and companies have made their intentions to enter the strategically and commercially important Indian market very clear.
So, the face off for the MRCA contract is now between West European, Russian and the US companies - and by extension, the nations backing them. Converting, what at best had always been a two-pony race between European and Russian manufacturers, into a three way face off, with US companies now stepping in as the spoilers, could also be considered as a singular achievement for the Indian defence planners.
If arms deals provide technologically advanced nations the wherewithal to arm-twist client nations in times of crisis, the forthcoming Indian contract is making them sweat. Contracts as big as the IAF tender not only spell big money for companies but also translate into a lot of jobs for national economies and so it is not surprising that nations are throwing their weight behind 'national' companies. The arm-twisting can happen now - by India.
By the time they sign on the dotted line, it is likely that these countries, and companies, would have given away enough to preempt any arm-twisting in the future. This would, of course, depend on the integrity and commitment of our defence planners. So far, as the game is playing itself out, the signs are good – but then, as they say, there is always many a slip between the lip and the cup.
If the MRCA order should be issued now the new planes are expected to arrive only by 2010. A order starved MiG RAC, however, promises a shorter delivery schedule, for there are no backlogs for it to clear - it has no orders other than the 18 odd MiG-29K for the Indian Navy. It also says that the MiG-35 is ready for series production.
The cost estimates range from $6-11 billion (Rs265-485 billion) over the life of the contract.
More than the money, it may be the strategic value of the contract - with India emerging as a likely super power - that competing nations may actually be hankering after.
No offence intented!
Ef2000 and Rafale are built by, Manufacturers with significant Experience in constructing Jets. We’ll need to give the Indian industry sometime before it matures, its capability. I'm sure there's plenty of capability, just need to pull it together!
Hence Comparing EF vs LCA is not fare!
no offence taken,but can you give a timeline of the ef2000 and rafale projects,they have taken several years too,iam not comparing the lca to the ef2000 or rafale in terms of technological capabilities,but in terms of timeline taken for development.
Looking at those boxy air intakes underneath, I'm reminded of F-15 intakes slightly canted. It would seem to my uninformed eye that there is very little in the way of LO built in. For a fighter being marketed in 2007, I can't imagine that that is a good thing. However Boeing are still selling F-15s so...
rb