can i ask you guys a question?

If a selection is made (eventually), is that selection open to appeal or is it final?

From a personal point of view I can’t imagine going through this process and then having to spend another 2 years waiting to see if it reverses….

What do you mean appeal!!!
This isnt a court case you are talking about!!

Any a/c other than a MiG-35 or Gripen winning this MMRCA contest will mean someone got something behind the closed doors! Because these two a/c represent the most Value-For-Money and it will depend on IAF if they want twin or single engined a/c.

Who told you that the IAF is looking for “value for money”?
IAF will not touch the Mig 35 with a barge pole , let alone shortlist it.

From Shiv Aroors blog…

“If you think extraneous factors are going to guide our decision, then you may be surprised by the result.” The words of a senior MoD officer who spoke to select journalists recently about the Indian medium multirole combat aircraft (M-MRCA) competition

from rumours, reports, leaks, hearsay, background briefings — is that the big European twins, the Dassault Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon — are the IAF’s two most preferred aircraft, and in that order :diablo:

The MoD officer quoted above also said, “There is no political pressure. This is such a large deal that it is apt for showcasing the excellent and professional job India has done in making an informed decision which is independent of any factors, including strategic and geopolitical. The air force is the customer, not the Ministry of External Affairs.”

Indian Navy picks Korean Kangnam’s mine hunters

The Indian Navy has decided on its choice for a Mine Counter Measures Vessel [MCMV]. The navy and the defense ministry have identified South Korea’s Kangnam Corporation as the L1 vendor [lowest bidding and technically qualified] for the procurement of eight such vessels. Italy’s Intermarine, which was also part of the technically qualified shortlist, was beaten by Kangnam on price when the commercial bids were opened.

Two MCMVs will be built in South Korea, while the remaining six will be built by Goa Shipyard Limited [GSL] under Licensed Production by Transfer of Technology.

i.e ,
Step I – Check matt’s question – (50 years?)
Step II – Confirm that my examples are the answers to matt’s question.
All those aircraft were relevant in the years that they were built or were operating in and point towards the experience of HAL.They do not have to be relevant to the Dhruv.
Therefore ,

so in summary, the three examples you cited are not really applicable to specific case we are talking about here.

…that is just a totally out of context reply from you.

but, even experience airframe manufactures experience these problems, the more experience you have the less problems, but still problems. HAL just need to learn.

..yep , just like every other aerospace manufacturer and/or everybody in this world.Learning is a never ending process.But that is totally different from misreading a situaton and making a rash conclusions/insinuations at HAL.Such problems happen with every other aircraft that is flying.No need to throw a hissy fit about it as some have done.Just makes those comments look stupid.

Lots of things really, quality control, quality management, poor operator training, lack of understanding of manufacturing features effects on stress.

Oh really!I guess same applies to Boeing then!
This is absolute nonsense.After building aircraft for 50 years you want to say HAL doesnt “understand” airframe stress then I have got a house in mars to sell you!:rolleyes:

They can do whatever they want.

what I am saying, from my own perspective, is that for a typical aerospace organization/ airframe OEM, an aircraft project in the current state as Tejas would not be considered finished and ready to “move on”. unless the organization thinks the project is a total loss and will not be worth the money it invested to correct all the mistakes and bring it inline with the original performance goals.

Please understand that its not as if they have to complete something to start another project.Primary work on the Tejas is almost done.One team can concentrate on the upgrades and mods and another team can start the AMCA development.They dont have to put the entire core LCA team on the AMCA project.Neither is the work on AMCA going to depend on the LCA technology set.Actually systems much more developed than that on the LCA are already there and are being incorporated in other projects and upgrades.And the AMCA is going to incorporate further improvements and much newer technology over those.
DRDO have scores of project running in parallel.Just like any other major aerospace/defence company.

For eg. check this

Under the newly
formed cluster of Micro-
Electronics and Devices,
the achievements include
demonstration of the
functioning of Gallium
Nitride high-electron
mobility transistor and
development of multibeam
klystron and testing
for delivery of 100 W
pulsed power at Ka-band
for the first time in the country. Variants of 100 W MPM
transmitter for EW systems have been developed

DRDO newsletter Jan 2011