Not only that, the IAF reportedly evaluated older Greek M2Ks last year as, which further shows the focus on bridging capability gaps.
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Not only that, the IAF reportedly evaluated older Greek M2Ks last year as, which further shows the focus on bridging capability gaps.
I think the key word is: number of squadrons that they want since they just retired several Mig-21 squadrons. Now, they don't have enough planes to fly due to the slow progress of making Tejas.
I don't get it, clearly money isnt an issue with the overpriced rafale, couldnt they just buy more Su-30s from Russia especially with trump as president right now.
Hi,
i don’t think they want more SU30 until russian or they themselves start putting AESA and long range R37M as they have realised how effective a mediocre jet like JF17 with AESA and PL15 with net centric etc is so capable to shoot down SU30 before SU 30 able to see these fighters
thank you
Not sure why they're still persisting with Tejas. They may have been better off going with the Gripen, as it could likely have been inducted in greater numbers and helped alleviate the squadron shortage.
The latest Gripen E/F is also firmly in the 4.5-generation league, with modern avionics, sensors & weapons integration already in place.
The latest Gripen E/F is also firmly in the 4.5-generation league, with modern avionics, sensors & weapons integration already in place.
When you look for second hand jets like 15 used Greek Mirage 2000 and 5 british Jaguar, you clearly need things with wings right now.
Rafale deal is not a fast replacement or replenishment deal at all. Dont know how many more SU-30 Russia can pump a year.
Not even sure if it can replace aged aircraft and crash atritions with only Rafale and a new SU-30 deal. Tejas production rate is abysmal.
India waited 10 years too much before getting real replacement on paper. Rafale deal is 10 years late, Tejas mk1/mk2 production is 10 years late. Jaguar needed to be retired 10 years ago.
India does have the 114+36 Rafales on order, but if we assume that they will start getting delivered in 2030 and Dassault manages to have 10 ready per year, it'll be 2045 by the time India gets them all. By then, the Jaguars will be all gone, the MiG-29s will be all gone, the Mirage 2000s will be all gone, and probably half of the Su-30MKIs will be unuseable. That's around 300 fighters. India has bet everything on Tejas, and they'd better pray that Tejas delivers.
The Gripen is a bad fit for what India needs. Sure its specs are a good match for Tejas Mk1 and Mk1A, but the Tejas is also a bad fit for what India needs so that's not much of an argument. I think that Rafale is pretty much the best that India can hope for even though it's way overpriced, and they'll take forever to show up.
I get that, but is that better than getting more jaguars and mirage 2000 which are falling from the sky?
A Su-30SME or Su-35E would be much better upgrade.
While yes, they are outmatched by PL-15, that includes the Rafale that they just bought more. It is still a much better platform that offers a chance to fight than sustaining these money draining Jaguars and Mirages.
Considering that algeria got Su-34 during the war, I think russia can pump out the production, is the money that chokes production.
That's precisely my point. Tejas was never intended to compete with Rafale-class aircraft. The whole concept behind the LCA program was to replace the large MiG-21 fleet & eventually help offset the retirement of other legacy platforms such as the MiG-23s, MiG-27s, & Jaguars, thereby maintaining squadron strength.
The requirement was fundamentally about numbers as much as capability. Unfortunately, decades later, the IAF is still grappling with a squadron shortfall while many of those legacy aircraft have already retired or are approaching retirement. That's why the discussion keeps returning to force levels.
One can debate whether Gripen would have been the ideal choice, but had India opted for a mature platform like the Gripen earlier, the squadron situation today might have been considerably better. The Gripen was already an operational 4.5-generation fighter with an established production line, potentially allowing faster induction & larger fleet numbers. Instead, the IAF has spent years trying to bridge the gap, to the extent that it was even evaluating older Greek M2Ks last year.
Rafale is undoubtedly the more capable aircraft, but capability alone doesn't solve a numbers crisis. Air forces need both quality & quantity & the original purpose of the Tejas program was largely to address the latter.