Hmm, must be nice for the Indian AF – choice bet Rafale and Tiffy, real nice. Lucky they don’t have to be choosing between the Shornet and the Viper! That would have been crummy!
In any case, reading the tea leaves – the biggest question is – has the M2K upgrade gone through? IF it has, imvho, the Rafale gets the boot, and the Tiffy wins the race. IF the M2k deal has not yet been signed, the Tiffy is probly going to lose.
I fully expect Dassault/France to offer some kind of package deal – Rafale + M2k upg to make it more lucrative. Perhaps we may hear more of the UAE M2ks in this connection as well. INtersting times…
USS.
Actually, Dassault’s offer to give discounts on M2K if Rafale is selected is being seen more as a stick rather than a carrot. Although French munitions are terribly expensive, the winner will most likely use Indian missiles and LGB’s. It would be interesting to see how IAF and MoD are going to calculate lifetimes costs. Probably the financial models used for the evaluation will never be made public to anyone other than the vendors, but the case seems too strong in the favor of Rafale. This is a deal for Dassault to lose now, if they lose this one, probably some heads will roll in Dassault management.
Besides, Rafale-M argument isn’t that strong, considering that by 2025, IN would get AMCA. If Rafele-M is included, then 4 different type of aircraft for carriers will make up for a logistical nightmare worse than what IAF faces today. This is not considering the possibility that AURA might be considered for naval role by then. In all possibility, a catobar carrier would be launched keeping AMCA timeline in mind.
Sign In
