I think you mean Su-57/F-35 acquisition depends on how Amca program shapes up since Tejas mk2 can’t fill the shoes of a stealth platform.
We should name Mk 2 as Mirage..
Whenever we believe it's time for first flight, date moves to next year/fiscal/quater..
The IAF top brass thinks Mk2 is already 'operationally irrelevant'. If the F414 deal stalls, Mk2 is DoA, anyway. Re-engineering the airframe for AL-31/41 will take a minimum of 5 years.
This will impact the AMCA mk1 program too for which mk2 serves as a testbed.
Defence secretary spoke about having a network centric air force to bridge the gap with Chinese 5th generation aircrafts.
The M88 T-REX, with a slightly larger fan diameter, would be a suitable replacement for the F414 and would not require any modifications to the aircraft, as its overall dimensions and weight would be lower than those of the F414. M88s with the correctly sized fan could be delivered quickly, as this would be the same size as the M88 prototype that had been considered for the UAE during the initial negotiations; the T-Rex would arrive three years later and would be fully interchangeable, providing the Tejas Mk2 with its final performance specifications, whilst the weapons system would have been developed using the enlarged M88.
Very Nice Picture
Current Army Chief AND New IAF Chief passing out of NDA together
Current Army Chief AND New IAF Chief passing out of NDA together
4 months back
LCA mk2 and AMCA would be a success in long run only and should not be confused as an option to fulfill immediate need of fighter aircrafts. It's not meant to get operationalized and inducted with upcoming tech upgrades before 2030.
For current need you need to buy or produce more Rafales and Sukhois 30mkis or Su57.
The IAF is likely playing it cool because GoI is yet to sign off on the 114 Rafale deal. Once that goes thru, you'll see them pushing for Su-57E in a big way, esp once the first J-35 lands in Pak.
Yes, because Ind govt will come under immense public pressure and US pressure wouldn't be that effective.
That's not all. I suspect the IAF is pushing back on Tejas Mk1A deliveries for the same reason which is to create urgency for Rafale 2.0. Otherwise software/wpn integration issues could always have been sorted out post delivery.
Su-57 will likely be acquired around the AMCA induction timeline of 2035 ('proven capability') or soon after the PAF gets J-35s, whichever is earlier.
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On what will they fly? There are no engines/ very limited.
Trump is the most easiest and most negotiable President US will ever get, US will even provide F35 under Trump regime if Indians know how to negotiate. He wants to negotiate and hence all these H1B, OTP fee, sanctions etc. Russians have made a deal with them on oil, and look at Indians. Stuck with GE past one decade. What a lack of negotiating skills, or may be Indians are emotional businessmen and negotiators.
Trump is not a reasonable negotiator. He wants us to open the agri sector to 'competition' from the US, disregarding our political compulsions (+ we don't want GMO stuff). The Montana governor was in India recently to make the same pitch. No way we're budging an inch on that.
The F-35 would likely have to be firewalled from the IAFs Russian origin hardware + EUMA checks would be 10X more intrusive.
I doubt PAF is even able to do DACT exercises between its F-16s and J-10Cs w/o prior permission from DC. The IAF could never put up with such restrictions.
There are ample of other areas which can be negotiated, like sea, power generation, communication, film industry, aerospace, manufacturing, automobiles. You should know where you have leverage.
We already have GMO crops being flooded in the market, almost 96% of BT cotton is GMO.
Here more on GMO:
You don't really need to negotiate for F35 nor I am calling for a shot, but my point is a decade is a huge time man. And if you are still stuck with GE engine deal and not getting the numbers on time, then it is a very sad state of affairs, it only means Indians are not able to negotiate.
We're still importing billions of $ worth of fertilizer for large scale use. And one of the USP of GMO is that it doesn't need much fertilizer.
Trump is holding us hostage when our fighter fleet is at an all time low and still expects Indian cos to invest billions in the US.
GoI/MoD clearly dropped the ball on building a watertight contract for F404 but frankly that would be too much to expect from the babooze.
Trump can't hold 1.4 billion people hostage. If Indian negotiators are proficient enough then a lot of things can be signed. Chinese are dealing the same Trump, so do the Russians.
You missed the chance during Operation Sindoor to negotiate cease fire in return of good deals. Indians are are emotional negotiators.
We've signed multiple FTAs with EU, UK, Aus, NZ in just the last couple years. Surely that says something about our ability to negotiate. But the US wants us to sign away our sovereignty without giving much in return.
Look at how they're treating Canada, fellow Anglo-Saxons. India is not even in the same league.
BTW, by 'holding us hostage', I meant the Tejas program. But by squeezing F404 supplies, Trump's not doing himself any favours. We're not going to buy F-15/16s to eventually 'pave the way' (as he puts it) for the F-35.
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