If this is really a true bit of news, then the possibility of Rafale being built in India under the MII program is over..but why would they approach Russia, which has no single engine fighters it can offer? I suppose it is best to wait till the news is confirmed.

Isn’t much of an issue even if they don’t. The IAF plans to induct 120 Tejas by 2027. Even if HAL continues production at 12/yr (i.e. what the line is currently designed for) it’ll achieve that target. Unless orders are scaled up, HAL has no incentive to scale up production volumes, which is the point Rii was making in the first place.

And given their ‘45 squadrons or else…‘ position, one can only wonder what the hell is going through heads of the IAF brass.

The IAF may plan it but in order for it to be achieved, HAL needs to step up. Once the IAF actually begins to fly the Tejas and many of the mis-conceptions about the airplane are removed (the media has played a big role in creating some of these, and ADA/HAL have not been proactive in defending them, as ADA Chief Balaji recently said in an interview), I think that an organizational mindset change will happen. Every single test pilot who has flown the aircraft has praised it, but once ACM Raha flew it and praised its ease of handling, you knew that the days when ACMs would call it a MiG-21++ were past.

Once the IAF begins to feel a sense of ownership over the Tejas, which was missing in the past, it will mean that they are very likely to turn to upgraded variants of the Tejas for building up numbers. After all, there is no other fighter that will allow them to more affordably build up numbers.

US Air Force: Tech Transfer Issues Key to F-16 Production Line Move to India

WASHINGTON — The issue of technology transfer is likely to be the sticking point on whether the US government sanctions the potential move of Lockheed Martin’s F-16 production line to India, the US Air Force’s top civilian said Wednesday.
..

James said her discussions with Indian Secretary of Defense Production Ashok Kumar Gupta, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha and Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa did not go into the details of the industry proposals. However, the talks did touch on technology transfer issues, something that she said was seen as crucial for finalizing a possible deal.

“Obviously technology transfer is something that India is really, really hoping for [and] looking for,” she said. “So how much we’re able to work through will probably be a key determinant.

“And also I think a key determinant in what India ultimately ends up doing will relate to the Make in India part — how many jobs, what sorts of technologies might transfer,” she said, referring to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s effort to expand the country’s manufacturing sector.
..

Notably, James said Indian officials did not express interest in the US Air Force’s newest fighter, the F-35, which has amassed 10 international customers so far.

..

Asked whether moving the production line would become prohibitively expensive after that point, Howard said Lockheed was confident it would be able to set up a line in India when given the go-ahead, although the timeline would depend “on a number of factors.”

Negotiations with the US and Indian governments are ongoing, but if a deal is reached, Lockheed may also be willing to expand Indian companies’ participation in the program at a supplier level, he said.

“Under our current proposal, Lockheed Martin is offering India the exclusive opportunity to produce, operate and export F-16 Block 70 aircraft,” he said. “We also foresee significant Indian participation in the F-16 supply chain based on Indian industry’s capacity to offer best-value F-16 supply chain options.”

http://www.defenseworld.net/news/17288/Dassault_Rafale_Not_In_Running_For__Make_in_India__Fighter_Aircraft_Project_For_Now#.V_aWAIVOK3A

The media keep spreading rumors as they were facts, but in this case I think the rumor may be correct.

On verra.

Groan…more BS “analysis” by idiots pretending to be journalists..the ACM never said that the Rafale is not in the running for the MII program. Simply that they had received unsolicited offers to build other fighters and depending on which offer is the best (including Dassault’s, as clearly mentioned by Eric Trappier), they will decide on what is to be done.

Not the latest news, but..

Antonov sells dormant An-225 heavy lifter program to China

Zambian Hongdu L-15Z

Looks like this will finally go through. I know a lot of posters dispute whether the supposed goals of the re-engine plan- increased thrust, lowered empty weight meaning improved range and payload and better hot and high performance and better high altitude performance will actually be demonstrated or not. It is a fact that Jaguars were considered underpowered in certain conditions and since the IAF has committed a lot of resources to its upgrades and sustainment, it makes sense to be improve it for high altitude standoff strike profiles.

IAF confirms Jaguar re-engine plan

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has confirmed that it will re-engine its fleet of Anglo-French Jaguar strike aircraft. The plan was discussed by IAF Chief of Air Staff Arup Raha during his annual press conference this week.

..

Honeywell is to supply 270 F125IN turbofan engines to replace the twin Rolls-Royce Adour Mk 821s on apporoximately 120 Jaguars. The F125 is 600 pounds lighter and should enable 25-percent-shorter hot-and-high takeoffs. Raha said India’s Jaguars have become overweight and underpowered because of avionics and systems upgrades. Honeywell will first be required to conduct a trial modification of the Jaguars with the new engines. The plan was first mooted in 2012.
..

er, no…

once again, they tried to keep selling the Mirage 2000 and nobody wanted it anymore.

yes it’s a strange thing but there again the cost of the Mirage was most likely a factor.

The Mirage-2000 was considered modern and reliable and as capable as the F-16 C/D. Yet, towards the end of its assembly line, Dassault just couldn’t find any new customers. Even in the second hand market, the F-16 has seen a lot more sales and the Mirage-2000, just 1 (to Brazil). India’s deal with Qatar couldn’t go through thanks to some lousy decision making on the part of the Indian MoD and Indonesia turned down those 12 Qatari Mirages saying it couldn’t afford to maintain them and apparently UAE has been trying to sell its fleet and so far there has been no success.

Perhaps things might have turned out different if the IAF had ended up buying 126 Mirage-2000s and set up an assembly line for it in India, the way it was originally intended to be.