What makes you think that MiG-35 will not win?
1. The Mig35 is not a production model as yet. There is a trust issue in the capabilities of the Russian industrial complex when it comes to large scale deliveries of non mass production units. India it seems would prefer to either buy mature technology in production (such as the T-90 tanks & Su30 variants) or start JVs where the IPRs and production rights are split from the start such as in the case of the BRAHMOS or PAK-FA projects.
2. The ex- Mikoyan bureau has had some issues with quality control and aftermarket services when it came to the last batch of Mig29s.
3. The recent problems with the Algerian Mig29s and the other controversies with Russian suppliers do not help matters at all.
BATMAN said:
US is new to your stick and carrot approach where as others are tired of it.
I really doubt that your order will surpas any number above 100.
Its is just an attempt to milk the contractors with false hopes.
Interesting would be to see the eventual response from Russia once they are dropped out.
I don't even know what the hell any of this means. This is a competitive business. The Russians aren't playing their cards right. If they lose the contract they will be upset at first, but eventually things will simmer down. India is still one of Russia's primary military hardware client; China is not nearly as trusted and smaller nations do not have enough money to buy big ticket items like the way India does. Also there are other on going projects which eventually have to be saved. The MoU is for 126 fighters.
BATMAN said:
F-16 and F-18 both will be generation increment in Indian fleet.
India is a rich country and can afford to buy as many AESA it needs, why need TOT?
Whole concept of development collapse if eventually it has to be disclosed to competitors.
Even if US allow assembly of radars in India it is already proliferation of intellect.
The shopping list is for a Gen 4+ fighters to augment the Su30MKI which is also a Gen 4+ aircraft.
I don't think India can "afford to buy as many AESAs it needs." The IAF has only been allotted around 15 billion, which really isn't all that much if you look at modern air forces around the world. The Indian military branches and the industrial complex that serves them are heavily underfunded and will remain so in the foreseeable future. Local offsets given the availability of cheap skilled labor makes everything a lot cheaper.
I'm fairly certain that Raytheon isn't being asked for a full ToT; local assembly under manufacturer's license is about as far as it will go. EADS is the only firm as far as I know that is willing to participate in a joint venture which would avail complete ToT for an AESA radar. India from what I understand has always had some sort of an offset clause to most of the big ticket items they have bought in the past, so it should come of no surprise that the same is being included in the current deal.
BATMAN said:
Inductions of F-18 in US fleet started from 1978 so obviously orders was placed some time before and its development started much before.
I think you're confusing F-18 C/D with the F-18 E/F Superhornet variant which has some major differences with it's predecessors including changes to the fuselage and other primary structures. The Superhornet was only introduced in the late 1990s as far as I know.