India Launches Global Search for Single-Engine Fighter Jets....

[Zain Malik]

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NEW DELHI - India has begun a fresh program to acquire single-engine fighter aircraft to be built in India on the basis of foreign technology, as invitations have been sent privately through Indian Embassies to "some overseas participants" to partake in the program, according to an official at the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Among the planes expected to be in the running are Lockheed Martin's F-16 Block 70 and Saab's Gripen E.

"If it is single-engine fighter, there are mainly two: Lockheed Martin and Saab," Muthumanikam Matheswaran, retired Indian Air Force Air Marshal says.

"It appears that Lockheed Martin and Saab would get shortlisted if it is confirmed that only three countries, including Russia, have been
approached to seek their response," Daljit Singh, retired IAF Air Marshal and defense analyst, said.

The announcement for a fresh fighter program comes within a month after India committed to buying 36 Rafale fighters from France at a cost of $8.85 billion.

Defense officials here have given no detail about the how the overseas vendor will be picked, but analysts say a government-to-government transaction will be the preferred path.

"It would also be reasonable to infer that India is mulling a Government-to-Government (G2G) deal. Selection will, of course, be
based on trials and price offered by the manufacturers from these countries," says Amit Cowshish, MoD's former additional financial adviser.



The new fighter program is meant to replace 11 squadrons (one squadron equals 18 aircraft) of the Russian MiG 21 and MiG 27 aircraft, which are retiring in the next ten years. The Indian Air Force is already facing shortage of combat jets as it has around 33-34 operational fighter squadrons, while officials believe they would need 45 squadrons in a hypothetical confrontation with China or Pakistan.

The recently contracted Rafale, the domestically-produced Tejas Light Combat Aircraft and the Sukhoi SU-30MKI will not be able to fill the gap in the fleet strength, said an Indian Air Force official.

The purchase of an additional single-engine fighter aircraft will not affect the homemade Tejas, say analysts.

The new plane, if eventually acquired, would be the ninth type of Indian fighter aircraft, joining an inventory of Sukhoi-30MKI, Mirage 2000, Jaguar, MiG-29, MiG-27, MiG-21, Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and Rafale jets.

While IAF hunts for a new vendor to build planes in India, analysts say the government can ensure in the selection that adequate
technologies are transferred that can help other ongoing aerospace programs.

" A long-term partnership that involves large production in India and addresses exports jointly will result in significant technology flow. ... The partnership should be mandated such that maximum advantage is gained for Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)
development," says Matheswaran.

The Indian Air Force IAF has proposed to build locally a fifth-generation aircraft, the AMCA, but the program is only in the concept stage.

 

[C130]

either the Gripen E/F or Falcon 70 would make sense.

thinking Gripen E/F would be the favorite

-low cost and maintainability
-can operate from short runways and roads
-swashbuckler radar+Meteor=unmatched BVR combat

but then the Falcon 70

-much better range
-better growth potential
-more diverse weapon selection
-potential upgrade to F-35 in the future
-troll Pakistan with better F-16 and weapons

 

[Thəorətic Muslim]

Wasn't this

India has begun a fresh program to acquire single-engine fighter aircraft to be built in India on the basis of foreign technology,

the point of this:

 

[Zain Malik]

Wasn't this




the point of this:

As rafales were costly which india cant afford to purchase in hundreds india is looking for a single engine fighter to replace migs with MII

 

[my2cents]

Go for Lockheed F16 or Saab Gripen.

 

[GURU DUTT]

the final tally for IAF by 2025 is

rafale 36+18 for IAF and 18+18 of IN

63 Upgraded Mig29

52 Upgraded M2K

126 Upgraded to D-3 Jaguars

126 Uggraded Bisons

20(MK1)+80+40 (MK1A) LCA Tejas

90-126 "on order" F-16 Blk70/72

in short F-16 aave h aave

 

[Silicon0000]

Sorry for my poor understanding but Can anybody tell me Instead of make in India (assemble in India) why not India go for TOT for LCA project and make it as good as Gripen or F16 or better? I didn't get the logic behind it.

 

[A.P. Richelieu]

Sorry for my poor understanding but Can anybody tell me Instead of make in India (assemble in India) why not India go for TOT for LCA project and make it as good as Gripen or F16 or better? I didn't get the logic behind it.

Apparently the LCA was not designed In a way that allows mass production,
since parts have to be adjusted for each individual plane.

 

[Silicon0000]

Apparently the LCA was not designed In a way that allows mass production,
since parts have to be adjusted for each individual plane.

Thanks for reply.

Pardon my understanding but why such poor planning?

 

[somebozo]

Is Tejas not doing well?

 

[My-Analogous]

View attachment 343250

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View attachment 343251

NEW DELHI - India has begun a fresh program to acquire single-engine fighter aircraft to be built in India on the basis of foreign technology, as invitations have been sent privately through Indian Embassies to "some overseas participants" to partake in the program, according to an official at the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Among the planes expected to be in the running are Lockheed Martin's F-16 Block 70 and Saab's Gripen E.

"If it is single-engine fighter, there are mainly two: Lockheed Martin and Saab," Muthumanikam Matheswaran, retired Indian Air Force Air Marshal says.

"It appears that Lockheed Martin and Saab would get shortlisted if it is confirmed that only three countries, including Russia, have been
approached to seek their response," Daljit Singh, retired IAF Air Marshal and defense analyst, said.

The announcement for a fresh fighter program comes within a month after India committed to buying 36 Rafale fighters from France at a cost of $8.85 billion.

Defense officials here have given no detail about the how the overseas vendor will be picked, but analysts say a government-to-government transaction will be the preferred path.

"It would also be reasonable to infer that India is mulling a Government-to-Government (G2G) deal. Selection will, of course, be
based on trials and price offered by the manufacturers from these countries," says Amit Cowshish, MoD's former additional financial adviser.



The new fighter program is meant to replace 11 squadrons (one squadron equals 18 aircraft) of the Russian MiG 21 and MiG 27 aircraft, which are retiring in the next ten years. The Indian Air Force is already facing shortage of combat jets as it has around 33-34 operational fighter squadrons, while officials believe they would need 45 squadrons in a hypothetical confrontation with China or Pakistan.

The recently contracted Rafale, the domestically-produced Tejas Light Combat Aircraft and the Sukhoi SU-30MKI will not be able to fill the gap in the fleet strength, said an Indian Air Force official.

The purchase of an additional single-engine fighter aircraft will not affect the homemade Tejas, say analysts.

The new plane, if eventually acquired, would be the ninth type of Indian fighter aircraft, joining an inventory of Sukhoi-30MKI, Mirage 2000, Jaguar, MiG-29, MiG-27, MiG-21, Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and Rafale jets.

While IAF hunts for a new vendor to build planes in India, analysts say the government can ensure in the selection that adequate
technologies are transferred that can help other ongoing aerospace programs.

" A long-term partnership that involves large production in India and addresses exports jointly will result in significant technology flow. ... The partnership should be mandated such that maximum advantage is gained for Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)
development," says Matheswaran.

The Indian Air Force IAF has proposed to build locally a fifth-generation aircraft, the AMCA, but the program is only in the concept stage.

Try JF17

 

[Skull and Bones]

the final tally for IAF by 2025 is

rafale 36+18 for IAF and 18+18 of IN

63 Upgraded Mig29

52 Upgraded M2K

126 Upgraded to D-3 Jaguars

126 Uggraded Bisons

20(MK1)+80+40 (MK1A) LCA Tejas

90-126 "on order" F-16 Blk70/72

in short F-16 aave h aave

Come 2025, we will be talking about replacing Mirages and Mig-29s. My bet is not bigger order of Rafale, everything is hinting that way.

Try JF17

We are getting Combat Hawks for that role.

 

[GURU DUTT]

mirages and fulkrums like every other fighter will also get GaN based AESA upgrade starting 2020 and new engines(Mig29 maybe version of kaveri K10)and there life will go beyond 2030 make no mistake about that and there is very strong possibilly of making 126 F16Blk70/72 and 126 rafale in india(TOT.../MII) and 126 LCA MK1a and the 5th gen fighters will come after 2025 or 2030 and thats it

 

[VOR]

It's a horrible idea to have so many types of aircraft from various countries French/Russian/India. While strategically it might make sense to diversify the suppliers to avoid being choked by one particular foreign nation, tactically it is terrible during the war and for peace time maintenance. This not a new critique and everyone knows it, therefore it is even harder to understand why India air force insists on keeping to repeat the mistake. F-16 and Gripen? What a nightmare...

IAF committed to LCA by ordering quantity despite the delay and difficulties, but buying more single engine fighters will not help domestic programs in the long term.

 

[Joe Shearer]

Sorry for my poor understanding but Can anybody tell me Instead of make in India (assemble in India) why not India go for TOT for LCA project and make it as good as Gripen or F16 or better? I didn't get the logic behind it.

An excellent hint of the direction in which we should go. We need to tie up with existing system integrators willing to offer consultancy to open up the existing prototypes and 'productionise' them, make them easier to produce - they are extremely difficult to mass-produce as they stand - and then hand them over to two or more contractors to mass produce.

Why this is not done is difficult to say. Who in the Indian ministry understands prototyping and productionising and the difference between the two? Who in HAL will say that they do not know how to productionise a prototype, and need external consultants, and risk getting sacked on the spot? Who in ADA will accept that they made a prototype almost impossible to mass-produce, however elegant a realisation of a design the prototypes are? And who in the IAF is willing to sit still when we are dangerously underserved today?

Apparently the LCA was not designed In a way that allows mass production,
since parts have to be adjusted for each individual plane.

Specifically, some of the path-breaking composite sections.

NEW DELHI - India has begun a fresh program to acquire single-engine fighter aircraft to be built in India on the basis of foreign technology, as invitations have been sent privately through Indian Embassies to "some overseas participants" to partake in the program, according to an official at the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Among the planes expected to be in the running are Lockheed Martin's F-16 Block 70 and Saab's Gripen E.

"If it is single-engine fighter, there are mainly two: Lockheed Martin and Saab," Muthumanikam Matheswaran, retired Indian Air Force Air Marshal says.

"It appears that Lockheed Martin and Saab would get shortlisted if it is confirmed that only three countries, including Russia, have been
approached to seek their response," Daljit Singh, retired IAF Air Marshal and defense analyst, said.

The announcement for a fresh fighter program comes within a month after India committed to buying 36 Rafale fighters from France at a cost of $8.85 billion.

Defense officials here have given no detail about the how the overseas vendor will be picked, but analysts say a government-to-government transaction will be the preferred path.

"It would also be reasonable to infer that India is mulling a Government-to-Government (G2G) deal. Selection will, of course, be
based on trials and price offered by the manufacturers from these countries," says Amit Cowshish, MoD's former additional financial adviser.



The new fighter program is meant to replace 11 squadrons (one squadron equals 18 aircraft) of the Russian MiG 21 and MiG 27 aircraft, which are retiring in the next ten years. The Indian Air Force is already facing shortage of combat jets as it has around 33-34 operational fighter squadrons, while officials believe they would need 45 squadrons in a hypothetical confrontation with China or Pakistan.

The recently contracted Rafale, the domestically-produced Tejas Light Combat Aircraft and the Sukhoi SU-30MKI will not be able to fill the gap in the fleet strength, said an Indian Air Force official.

The purchase of an additional single-engine fighter aircraft will not affect the homemade Tejas, say analysts.

The new plane, if eventually acquired, would be the ninth type of Indian fighter aircraft, joining an inventory of Sukhoi-30MKI, Mirage 2000, Jaguar, MiG-29, MiG-27, MiG-21, Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and Rafale jets.

While IAF hunts for a new vendor to build planes in India, analysts say the government can ensure in the selection that adequate
technologies are transferred that can help other ongoing aerospace programs.

" A long-term partnership that involves large production in India and addresses exports jointly will result in significant technology flow. ... The partnership should be mandated such that maximum advantage is gained for Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)
development," says Matheswaran.

The Indian Air Force IAF has proposed to build locally a fifth-generation aircraft, the AMCA, but the program is only in the concept stage.

It is worth recalling that of the eight types listed, two will vanish/have vanished and two more will vanish in the near future. Only three types will be left standing from the current inventory, and a fourth is being contemplated. Not a big deal, with some streamlining of processes. Some of the duties of the strike aircraft will be taken up by weapons fired at considerable distances, that is, stand-off missiles and smart bombs, and some by GPS guided cruise missiles.

This does not take into account any strategic requirements or specific strike-oriented replacements, and it does not take into account existing enhancements and upgrade missions under way, or those that will be directed towards one or more of the existing medium-term three types: the Su30MKI, the Rafale and the Tejas.