India’s numbers of twin-seat FGFA fighters has now come down dramatically from what they wanted initially. The breakup is now 166 single seaters and 48 twin seaters.

Thanks for the info.

For the record I wasn’t attempting to impugn the A2A credentials of Su-30MKI or FGFA, merely objecting to the notion that India paid scant attention to A2A performance for MMRCA. If it was actually the case that India was looking first and foremost for a strike aircraft in MMRCA then Super Hornet would’ve made the shortlist rather than Typhoon!

So far as I can see the new-bid-for-80-planes thing is coming only from British officials attached to the embassy and as such can be considered mere wishful thinking until more independently sourced.

Commiserations to the Eurofighter camp (myself included), but it’s clear first and foremost the IAF wanted a state-of-the art, seasoned & formidable striker

Right … they wanted a strike-centric aircraft to supplement their strike-centric Su-30s, strike-centric FGFAs, Jaguars and MiG-27s. This ‘strike’ business is something of a national obsession for India, eh? :rolleyes:

Somehow I don’t think China is in the business of underestimating India (and, incidentally, Russia) to quite the degree that many in the west do. Rafale is a significant acquisition for the IAF and MMRCA is an important step for India wrt indigenous industry and strategic independence. But don’t make it out to be more than it is. The sun rises tomorrow just as it did yesterday.

Dassault shares highest in 22 years…

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-31/dassault-jumps-most-in-22-years-on-rafale-india-bid-paris-mover.html

Rose more than 22% to the highest in 22 years. Hmm. Maybe, but the repeated number is suspicious. Particularly when the article goes on to tell us that the Rafale will be replacing Mirage 2Ks in Indian service. :rolleyes:

Ok, so what does this mean for the regional balance in airpower between China and India? Are we likely to see some form of response from China over the next few years or is it a negligible impact on the regional balance?

Negligible impact I think. J-10B is China’s ‘answer’ to MMRCA and is already in the pipeline.

Undisputable evidence that the Rafale is the best combat aircraft ever built. Ever.

😎

😀

And that ever will be built!

the defense ministry was now considering buying another 80 or so jets and could invite bidders excluded from the current process to take part…

Oh for ****’s sake. Even India couldn’t seriously be entertaining the idea of adding yet another platform to the mix.