The IAF's big problem with domestic procurement is the large 'generational' gaps between the fighters that are made in India.
The last attempt was I think the HAL Ajeet, which for some reason was procured in very small numbers despite decent performance as an aircraft, and before that, the HAL Marut, which also delivered decent performance. These two aircraft were close together. The next attempt that made it off the drawing board was the HAL Tejas.
HAL Ajeet and Marut were only a decade more advanced than aircraft that served during the war in Korea. Suddenly, there is a jump to HAL Tejas, which has several decades worth of advancements compared to the last time HAL had to design and build a fighter.
Compare this to SAC in China. SAC has had consistent fighter production all the way from the J-2 (MiG-15 license) [with J-5, J-6, J-7 in between] to the J-8 (domestic fighter comparable to MiG-21), then the J-11 (Su-27 variant) and J-16 (J-11 development, cannot really be directly compared to the Su-27 at this point).
India missed out on building several decades worth of experience with fighter aircraft programs because they chose to take the 'easy' way out and simply buy Western aircraft and now suffers the consequences. All countries with successful indigenous fighter programs (Swedes, French, Russian, American, Chinese) have a history of fighter programs going pretty far back, with consistent iterations over time. I think there is very little the IAF can do to really repair indigenous fighter design, simply because they are missing this experience.
The last attempt was I think the HAL Ajeet, which for some reason was procured in very small numbers despite decent performance as an aircraft, and before that, the HAL Marut, which also delivered decent performance. These two aircraft were close together. The next attempt that made it off the drawing board was the HAL Tejas.
HAL Ajeet and Marut were only a decade more advanced than aircraft that served during the war in Korea. Suddenly, there is a jump to HAL Tejas, which has several decades worth of advancements compared to the last time HAL had to design and build a fighter.
Compare this to SAC in China. SAC has had consistent fighter production all the way from the J-2 (MiG-15 license) [with J-5, J-6, J-7 in between] to the J-8 (domestic fighter comparable to MiG-21), then the J-11 (Su-27 variant) and J-16 (J-11 development, cannot really be directly compared to the Su-27 at this point).
India missed out on building several decades worth of experience with fighter aircraft programs because they chose to take the 'easy' way out and simply buy Western aircraft and now suffers the consequences. All countries with successful indigenous fighter programs (Swedes, French, Russian, American, Chinese) have a history of fighter programs going pretty far back, with consistent iterations over time. I think there is very little the IAF can do to really repair indigenous fighter design, simply because they are missing this experience.
