The MRCA program is not just about acquiring another plane, it’s about acquiring technology. Not much new tech can come from the MKI that the Indians are already absorbing. So, this new acquisition program will open up technologies not available before. Tech is the name of the game, not necessarily the planes themselves.

Thanks for the articles. The interviews are worth having Force around.

are you this insecure that you need to start another of these flaming threads? Seriously

Ironically enough, this was the first flame in the entire thread… :rolleyes:

The key deficiency in the IN fleet is missile based area AAW capability. The Viraat with its picket line of Ka-31s and SHARS can provide some degree of AAW for the fleet but it’s mostly too little and too close. The escort ships need the ability to keep the baddies at arm’s reach with its missiles to let the carrier go on the offensive.

2)There is no way that India would buy any defence materials from China, for some reason the Indians have an irrational hatred of the Chinese which does not seem to be reciprocated. The leaving out of South Korea is surprising though.

When the Chinese amabassador in India says that one of the Indian states belongs to China in its entirety, you can perhaps find it in your heart to forgive the “irrational” Indians about not trusting the Chinese in defense matters. :rolleyes:

Why would the South Koreans be invited to bid? They make good ships but most of the mission critical equipment like the Aegis sytem, the SPYs, RAM, etc are from the US.

India’s naval preference has always, since independence, been for European and Russian. Anyways, the Indians and the SoKos don’t have a very deep defense relationship, if at all. To expect them to start off the relationship with a major naval platform is ridiculously ignorant, at best.

On the Vikad, where are the a/c elevators? I see two or three ord elevators but cant seem to find the a/c ones.

From this very small pic, one can get somewhat of an idea of what the size of that stbd “verandah” is going to be.

Well, if USAF pilot drops a JDAM from an officially marked US aircraft, then he cannot deny official US involvment. But if an Iranian suicide bombers attacks US installation who can prove official Iranian involvement, even if the man was listed in Iranian Army?

Well, the evidence of Iranian govt involvement might not get blown up with the suicide bomber. If it keeps on happening and the evidence trails are similar in each bombing pointing to Iranian govt involvment, then the US will press its case.

Bottom line is this, if Iranians can be given the right to hit US interests, then the logical corollary of the US having the right to hit Iranian interests must hold true.

*What do you mean the nuclear reactor building caved in on its own?* 😉

Let’s take this step by step, with reality, not some flight of fancy.

Well, let’s say that Iranian soldiers are caught as Iraqi insurgents. Well, if those insurgents do not confess being Iranian, then they will be kept in Iraqi jails under Iraqi jurisdiction, maybe US soldiers guarding, but Iraqi jurisdiction. They will undergo interrogation.

If some insurgent is believed to be more than just an insurgent, i.e. like Zarqawi or anyone with possible connection to terrorist activity outside Iraqi boundaries, then that person will be extracted for intel.

If an Iraqi insurgent turns out to be an Iranian soldiers and admits to official Iranian involvment in the Iraqi insurgency, then the US has at least a start to build a case for hitting Iranian military facilities. Afterall, if the Iranians are using their military power to attack Iraqi and American interests, why can’t the US use its military to attack Iranian interests?