Nishan_101
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Yes, Rafale will be for the MMRCA requirement of the IAF, currently it is for 126 Rafales but follow on order will make it an upward figure of 200 + IMO, any further delay in LCA will force the IAF to increase the no. of Rafales procured even though the weight category of the two differ. I think this can change the figure to 250+ just for the IAF (maybe 50+ more for IN).
No, the delay in LCA does not mean IAF going for Gripen NG, it will certainly not like to add another foreign aircraft to it's inventory & making it a logistical nightmare (esp. when many systems of it are imported from US).
Man I am not misleading the post. But see some sign there:
DRDO chief does sortie in Gripen - SP's Aviation
June 04, 2012 : A week after IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne did a sortie in a French Air Force Rafale at the Saint-Dizier air force base in France, DRDO chief Dr V.K. Saraswat was flown in the Gripen NG fighter at the Malmen air base near Linköping, Sweden during an air show.
While the Rafale has been chosen by the Indian Government in the massive MMRCA competition, the Gripen was one of the four aircraft that was knocked out of the competition last year. It is unclear what Dr Saraswat's sortie was about and whether it had anything to do with the Gripen platform itself. Dr Saraswat was in Sweden to attend the Aerospace Forum Sweden, where he gave a detailed presentation on India's unmanned technologies and ongoing projects. "By 2030, the percentage of the manned fleet will be reduced significantly. But it depends very much on how smart and intelligent we can make these systems," he said. Dr Saraswat highlighted the Nishant UAV, Rustom-1 MALE UAV and, significantly, the IUSAV (Indian unmanned strike air vehicle)the country's classified UCAV programme, based on a stealth flying wing design similar to existing stealth UCAVs like the Neuron and Taranis. Dr Saraswat said the IUSAV would enter service in 10-15 years, and would operate alongside a solar-powered HALE UAV under development with HAL.