India up MRCA order to 200

India Boosts Aircraft Buy, Widens Supplier Options DefenseNews.com staff stories


India will increase the number of Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) it plans to buy to 200, opening the door for more than one supplier, said Air Force and Ministry of Defence officials

The Indian Cabinet Committee on Security, which clears major defense programs, in October accepted the Air Force’s proposal to increase the number from the original 126, for which a request for information already has been sent to overseas vendors. The value of the original contract was $5 billion; the revised plan brings the combined value of one or more contracts to $8.5 billion.

A senior Defence Ministry official said the Air Force plans to phase out 60 of its 140 Jaguar aircraft in the next five years, by which time MMRCAs would start arriving. The additional planes will replace more Jaguars, aging MiG-23s, and some squadrons of MiG-27s, an Air Force official said. [More]
11/21/05 11:10


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What I don't understand is how the IAF is even going to maintain all of these aircraft. Their logistics is going to be horrible! Let's say for simplicity's sake that the IAF goes with 100 Superhornets and 100 Mig-35's. The lineup for the IAF will then be:

Mig-29
Mig-35
Su-30MKI
F-18 Superhornet
Mirage 2000H and some Mirage 2000-5
Jaguars
LCA (if that is even inducted)
Mig-27

Now, as far as I know, that will be pretty tough for the IAF to maintain and fly. And it will also be VERY expensive.

They managed last time. MiG-21/23/25/27, Su-30MK, Mirage 2000, Jagaur, Harrier.
Besides the Western aircraft aren't mantenance hell like the Russians are. If the Americans do supply spares its in quality and service. Also by that time i'm assuming the older aircraft will retire or better reserve.

I seriously saw this coming when they talked about a mix of M2K9 and super hornet. This is actually a great news for India, although probably not a great news for LCA.

Just one question though, where is India going to get the money for this? 100 x 50 million/M2K + 100 x 70 million/F-18 = 12 billion

If Mig-35 is obtained instead of super hornet, then it'd probably be
100 x 50 million/M2K + 100 x 35 million/Mig-35 = 8.5 billion

Either way, this is going to be quite expensive.

I don't think any US stuff will ever enter into Indian inventory. I bet the purchase will be Mig 35 (its Mig 29 upgraded) and Mirage 2000-5. Also the current fleet of Mig29 and Mirage 2000s will be upgraded to the latest standards !!!!!!

Since India really want to develop its own aviation industry, i think it is worth it right now to purchase some american aircraft. since russian and american planes have completely different designs. now india can study both of them, and it would be more beneficial to LCA and/or MCA. if the india aviation industry is only based on russian technology, it will end with with the same problems russian planes face. but with both sides, it could help solve some problems that would have taken more time and money. so this investment on american planes might not be the best idea for shortterm, but for long term, it would definitely be beneficial.

I too doubt the Hornets will catch business. India's logistics are not very good and it doesn't help at all to get Hornets. (And I don't mean that in a nice way.)

It might be easier if they retire all of the MiG-21s, though, consolidate MiG-23s and 27s, and maybe convert their MiG-29s into 35s (?).

But increasing the number from 124 to 200, where are they going to get the money? It's rather crazy.

and the indians plan to build more carriers too!!! how in the world is the indian military going to afford all this? plus, i think it's really disgraceful that the indian government can be setting its eyes on spending billions on f-18s and mrca's, while millions of indians are still living in povertry. im not attacking em, but its just that money needs to be better spent...

how is the indian airforce going to pay for the operation and maintanence of hundreds of airplanes from 4 different nations? are they really that desperate to catch up?

let's not go all over India, China isn't exactly the most conservative spender either. The fact that they are spending more just shows that the Indian economy is doing well right now. As for maintenance, it's going to be a serious problem if they get Gripen or super hornets. Still, I can't help but think that some of the super hornets are going to IN, because the super hornet/APG-79 combination is more for ship attack missions than air superiority usage. Of course, if India gets super hornet, that would mean it would also purchase Harpoon, so more money for Uncle Sam.

Hey guys! I finally finished all of my exams, so now I can take a break and join your discussions!

and the indians plan to build more carriers too!!! how in the world is the indian military going to afford all this? plus, i think it's really disgraceful that the indian government can be setting its eyes on spending billions on f-18s and mrca's, while millions of indians are still living in povertry. im not attacking em, but its just that money needs to be better spent...

how is the indian airforce going to pay for the operation and maintanence of hundreds of airplanes from 4 different nations? are they really that desperate to catch up?

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This is definitely one of the reasons why the gov't debt for India has been increasing. As for why the gov't did this, I think I got a good anser but I will not post it in this forum, as it isff

It is good that the Indians will be acquiring something that is in the same league as the J-10. This fighter will no doubt augment Indian air defense capabilities greatly.