Abingdonboy
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To be fair sir, the LCH and LUH are running to schedule (perhaps a few months behind but still doing okay).LCH/LUH suffer from delays and as long as they're expected,
Once D is reached, cut types by choosing inter-services machines ( IN-IA-IAF all the same base )
and one type per use/weight class. NH 90, EC 725, M/S/H-60 or Kamov, it really matters not.
One heavy with navalised version, one middle weight navalised, one for altitude, LUH-LCH as basics.
You then have two HUGE contracts to award and can ask for production lines on such numbers.
Last but not least and I don't know how to say this gently, stick to your flocking decisions ...
something that an observer could be authorized to doubt is at all possible to Indian govt / agencies!
As you have said this is just common sense but it is something that has NEVER happened in India (the RSH being the ONE exception and even then that was nothing spectacular). It is clear there are common requirements and thus a common platform should be adopted across mulitple branches but this has never translated into joint procurement processes. As it stands each service looks at its own requirements and follows its own procurement path to get there, often you will have 2-3 different products serving in the same class just because of this de-centralised and frankly regressive decsion making. The Indian military is still far too "me, me, me", there is little synergy on an operational level, forget about a strategic or procurement level. This is why the post of a CDS has been mooted but even here the inter-service rivalry is dragging out the process.
As far as I see it there are a few areas where procurements of the future could be pooled so as to deliver a common platoform for mulitple services:
-Fighters- Rafale can serve the IAF and IN, IAF has already selected it
-Helos- in the 10+ ton catergory the IN/IA/IAF/ICG ALL have their own requirements but a common platform like the EC-725 can easily suit all of them- as AIrbus Military has proposed now that the ICG has narrowed down on this bird.
-Transports- C-295W can serve mulitple services; IN/ICG/CAPFs/DRDO etc IAF has already selected this platform
Funnily enough France seems to be the sole benificary of all proposed areas.
Its stupidly simple logic and one can only hope sense prevails in the MoD, instead of having 4 different RFI/RFP and 4 different procurement processes for the same class of product with the risk of ending up with 4 different products! This could easily happen with the 10+ ton helo requirements of the IA/IAF/ICG/IN- ICG may go with EC-725, IAF may go with V-22, IN may go with S-29/CH-148 and IA may go with something entirely different altogether.
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