Like pointed out before by some one else. The Tejas delays are the main reason for the MRCA competition. Now After RFP and Submission of bids, there is and there must not be no going back.

I would have 4-5 LCAs for the revised cost of Mig 35s tho :confused:

Palestine show that Democracy is flawed if not supplemented with Security and Prosperity.:)

Super Hornets for the IAC 1 and IAC 2 😀

Sounds like the Super Hornet is sounding better and better……………:cool:

Amen

which is fine as far as India is concerned, because its stand is that what it does with its weapons are its choice, once the weapons have been sold to it. You either sell arms and then the user uses it as he sees fit or you dont sell it in the first place. You cannot for indefinite periods try to use it as a method for arm-twisting and coercion, which is what the US does.

I am sorry here I have to agree a bit with Scooter. India was firmly in the Soviet Camp during the Cold War and Pakistan was a U.S ally. Things have changed a lot since then and no body besides the communists and several regional parties give much importance to the continual of ties with Iran. Do we want to be associated with a totalitarian regime headed by a notorious holocaust denier, who wants to wipe Israel, one of our strategic allies out of earth ? The answer is no and the ties are not going to improve till there are moderates in power at the very least.

American foriegn policy for its most part is pragmatic, America needs India in the changing world situation just as much as India needs America. She cannot afford to alienate India which would harm future co-operation in civilian and military fields. For example, the War on Terror is shifting further eastwards all the time, Pakistan may well be the next frontier, in case America would need Indian support.

And in the wider context there is the issue of containment of China, for which United States and India are bound to work together. So we are not talking about a buyer-seller like relationship the United States has with other countries. If the strategic ties reach its full potential India would be United States’ most important strategic partner ( I do not mean best friend, which would be Britian NATO, aussies etc.). I do not think the policy makers in New Delhi and Washington are oblivious to this fact and this is one of the reasons why I can see the MRCA order going to an American type and this is going to be just the start of many such orders.

I would say the Rafale- has everything that India wants, and has growth potential as well.

but ante_Climax, unfortunately, politics will play a major role in the selection.

I’m against US types primarily due to restrictive clauses and even the remotest possibility that going against US interests in any way would mean sanctions, grounding a fleet that would be the backbone of the IAF alongwith the MKIs. We’ve seen what it did to the Tejas, Sea Kings, etc. and when the IAF went to great lengths to not have any US-sourced parts on its Hawk fleet, it showed how averse they were to any US sanctions.

I mean, say tomorrow, India tested its nukes or developed an ICBM, I’m pretty sure that the US would impose technological sanctions. India would never accept US nuclear umbrella kind of agreements, so eventually they wll need to test their updated nukes to keep a deterrant posture against China.

even ISRO did suffer due to “Dual use technologies” or parts that the US would not sell to it. in fact, the US even pressurised Russia not to part with cryogenic engine technology, and the Russians reneged on an agreement to do so under US pressure. France is pretty much immune to such pressure-politics and although its equipment is expensive and support is costly, its top notch and definitely more reliable than Russian equipment (I have this from an IAF maintenance guy and a Mirage pilot as well, who praises the Mirages very highly).

For a few high end items like the P-8 or C-130, India could stock up on spares since there are so few airframes, so that even if there is a blockade, they could keep them flying, but for 126+60 MRCA fighters, its vital that they be operational under any given circumstance.

if India was like Australia (a close US ally that has not hard any bitter experiences with the US), then I’d have no doubt that the SH would be a potent MRCA and considering the US Navy’s support, likely to be upgraded for another 20-25 years as well.

Yet, all considered, my choice would be the Rafale, without a doubt.

I do not expect the U.S to impose any sanctions in the event of an ICBM test, Nuclear tests may be different.

Ankush,

Bar politics, which plane would you like to win if say all offer similar ToT.

I guess the P8Is will have harpoons integrated with them. 🙂