Politics is a major factor in the success of exporting military hardware. Gripen, JF-17, and Tejas, are in the same weight and performance class. As comparable as they are objectively, each fighter will have their type of customers. Very few potential customers will realistically be able to choose between all three. If the Indians improved Tejas to Gripen level, they will be finding a lot of orders down the line.
Didn’t the latest IAF (or IN, I forget) order for Tejas average out at around $100m per Tejas?
They will find zero orders at even half that price.
How it got to this point is frankly a mystery to all including the Indian’s I’m sure!
All the export barriers the JF17 has faced, so will the Tejas, only worse as it is so far behind the JF17, which is a direct like-for-like competitor.
Unlike the Tejas, the JF17 has achieved its primary goals of providing the PAF with an affordable, sanction proof backbone fighter; and also helping Pakistan to massively improve and expend its aviation industry.
Pakistan is pretty much able to build JF17s independently with a few key components like engines and radar shipped in, but is well on its way to being able to make those domestically as well in the medium to short term depending on what model we are talking about.
The next step up is for Pakistan to design its own future fighters with some technical assistance from China if needed and/or licence production of a 5th gen like the J31 or single engine stealth CAC is rumoured to be developing.
The Tejas programme is wholly incomparable and is turning into a massive financial liability while providing none of the capacity or industrial/technological benefits of the JF17.
To blithely assume the Tejas is at the same level as the JF17 is part of the reason for it becoming such a disaster in the first place.