I believe the EF will be selected for the following reasons:

1. More diverse offsets in terms of technology transfer & workshare, access to EJ-200 assembly/production will be a huge coup;

M88 is just as efficient than the EJ-200 or close. It’s just smaller in size, hence the price difference. Anyway SNECMA could help the indian engine makers just the same.

3. Selex swashplate AESA’s less risk (and hence lower cost) than Thales’ GaN conformal arrays;

I don’t see why, and with the conformal arrays you can look in every direction at once.

4. Superior A2A capability (imho);

Encounters between both planes so far have shown the opposite.

5. The IAF like aircraft with huge growth potential (think Su-30MKI), the EF appears to have moreso than Rafale (especially space-wise);

I don’t understand where you got that from?

6. Price competitive, and unwillingness to be Rafale’s launch customer (the Rafale’s export orders numbering a grand total of zero will have a significant impact unless the French can bend over backwards in terms of ToT/workshare & pricing).

Don’t AdlA and MN count as launch customers? Both have been using the Rafale in anger.

Nic

A combination of 125kg IIR AASM and laser guided rockets would be good enough in my opinion. What’s the price of the Brimstone?

Nic

Where ever did you read Storm Shadow (English name of Scalp EG) compatibility into the upgrade ?
let alone it included Storm Shadow missiles ? (and if so how many ?)

And how would Storm Shadow perform differently if launched from Mirage 2000 compared to how it perform if launched from any other aircraft ?

Well Scalp is integrated in the M2K-5 mk2 already… duh :rolleyes: it was purchased by Greece and in a degraded version by the UAE with their Mirages.

edit:

I always assumed that the indian upgrade would include scalp & mica. If it does not then it’s a ripoff and they might as well scrap them.

Nic

Not to mention you could likely take an F-20 and integrate it with all of the weapons planned for jets like the T-50, and it would probably be cheaper to acquire and possibly cheaper to operate.

The F-20 is in my opinion the best example of a superb “what could have been.” Such a beautiful bird that would have served well in my opinion.

Sometimes I feel like countries which work on the T-50, FC1 & so on are in fact trying to rediscover the F20.

Nic

Ok googling a bit it seems that the F20 cost USD 8 million versus 14,3 million for a F16. And I seriously doubt that it would cost more than a F16 to operate.

It could never have become such a ground mover that the F16 became, but as a low cost air defense fighter/interceptor it could have done wonders for countries with small budgets. And equipped with Mica/Python V/Aim 9X/ASRAAM or IRIS-T, a HMD and a modern radar it would still be quite dangerous.

Nic

Why do you say without weapons. The 29Ks are for the Navy and they don’t have any R 77s/73s, so unless the IAF gives them some of their precious R 77 stocks (very unlikely) the purchases include missiles.

Quoting myself in the very post that yo quoted:

“Other than that we don’t know what or how many weapons are provided for either bid”

If you do know please share.

Even if the Mig 29K deal includes the air to air missiles, it doesn’t include dozens of Scalp EG (at 850000€ each), which the are probably asked by the IAF.

Nic

well there are images of them operating out of Italy with litening pods, so (although i totally see where you are coming from) we should wait and see.

Please share! I really want to see pictures of Typhoons in operational ground attack config !

Nic