SAR is a no fail mission, someone else's life is on the line usually. Having a grounded SAR fleet is catastrophic, it is the last place to desire national industrial benefits.
Indian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.
- Thread starter bd popeye
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"[...]We may have to go in for off-the-shelf purchases with indigenous content until AMCA gets developed. Or develop AMCA at a faster pace,” Singh admitted.[...]"
I hope India will purchase the Su-57 because buying the F35 will lead to India being more controlled by the United States and more anti China. But from India's perspective, considering the benefits for the short to medium term economy, cooperation with the United States may be beneficial for India.
why not buy both
and then Hal-357 will emergewhy not buy both
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Lethe
Captain
That the IAF wants to import combat aircraft is not exactly news. The IAF always wants to import combat aircraft. Since 2018, this objective has been advanced via the MRFA requirement for 114 aircraft. The difficulty is in bringing the Ministry of Defence and upper echelons of GoI onboard to approve the large capital expenditure required in the context of myriad other competing priorities, including LCA and AMCA. The relevant development is that there has been some movement at the MoD level to look more favourably upon the IAF's agitation in this respect.
It is tempting to see this as a reflex response to renewed pitches from Russia and USA for Su-57 and F-35 respectively, but I am not convinced that is the case. To the extent that this is a real and meaningful shift (which is not yet clear), it could well be informed by internal evaluations re: LCA Mk. 2 and AMCA development trajectories, perhaps in the context of anticipated PAF and PLAAF developments in the 2030s. It may even be informed by renewed consciousness of the strategic risk embodied in the fact that India's indigenous combat aircraft programs are, across the board, tied to engines supplied by the United States.
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