It is good to see T-50-5 again. I love the new paint scheme, although that seems to be a minority opinion! Should look even better once the engine cowlings are ready.

I think I will reiterate my previous position, being that to cover the risk of delays in MMRCA deliveries it would make sense to boost Tejas Mk1 production rates and orders. The fact that HAL is planning production at a low level is neither here nor there. It should not be difficult to substantially increase the production rate from 2016 if a decision were made to do that now. If the alternative is more Su-30’s at a much higher cost, why ignore the cheapest way to mitigate the problems brought about by the risk of non-availability of Rafale?

Why not both? Extending Super-30 production for another couple of years shouldn’t be difficult. The current plans call for 2018 as final production year I believe, and it seems unlikely FGFA will be ready for immediate transition.

Some do realise the F-35 maybe the last “crewed” fighter in the US forces.

Now there’s a horrifying thought. Fortunately it almost certainly isn’t true, and the F-15E, Super Hornet and F-22 successor will be at least optionally manned.

Concorde it ain’t.

2 Meteor, 4 Mica, 6 AASM, 3 tanks (2000l each)

But no LDP to make perfect. 🙁

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Isn’t the point of a United AF to streamline? You would have two or at most fighter types plus naval type(s)

Sure but there is a limit to how much streamlining can be accomplished prior to the next generation of platforms coming online. Unless you are willing to throw away perfectly good aircraft for no good reason…

Well as I am sure you will agree that is a damn stupid proof of “engine problems”.

Yes. If it is true that these opinions are accurately sourced from a senior IAF officer than they demonstrate only a worrying ignorance amongst certain senior IAF officers! More likely it is some kind of political machination tho, or campaign by the journalist — Shukla apparently toured Lockheed Martin facilities in 2011 and came back singing the praises of guess-which-platform.

I hold Rafale in the same technological class as Su-35 (with future upgrades it will be no worse in some subsystems than any 5th gen I would wager), but thats just the problem. The program is expensive. It looks far different that it was originally conceived. India already spent lots of energy creating Su-30 production, is working on Tejas now, T-50 and AMCA are supposed to be the future. Add in the not-at-all-cheap Rafale into the equation? Just juggling too much, IMO.

I think most people agree that India is doing ‘too much’, the disagreement lies in locating the excess. Personally I think it is AMCA that is misplaced: it is too soon with Tejas still unproven, there is still no engine and there is no indication that it has been designed with carrier compatibility in mind.

But at the same time one has to keep in mind India’s unique geopolitical circumstances and priorities. Much as today’s Russia has unique circumstances that drive decisions that would seem strange elsewhere, so with India. This is not to say that improvements cannot be made, merely that India’s acquisition and development programs will almost inevitably be ‘messier’ than other nations, or than we as observers would like.

I don’t see how the engine effects anything TBH. There is no basis whatsoever for the (silly) assumption these “sources” are making that the engine is unreliable OR the aircraft is underpowered.

Pretty sure that by ‘unreliable’ they are referring to the 2011 flameout.

I do think MMRCA outgrew itself completely however.

mmm, not sure why. Rafale is in same or better technological class as Su-35 and J-10B.