man, you are a genius!!!! I'd highly suggest you put a Hornet against a Rafale. Hornets have the latest avionics out of the -15, -16 force. They are now upgrading the -15 and the -16 with tech used in Hornets years ago. We have them in a specialized Naval role and there is a reason for it.
Hornets face the enemy directly whether on strike missions or on combat. And are slightly ahead of the -15 and -16.
If Hornets weren't top notch, a country like the US, wouldn't have put them on as their main enemy facing air assets where the USAF doesn't exist at times. In other words, Hornets don't always get the air-cover from the -22's. They have to make the mission and achieve the goals on their own, which then means, they have to be THAT advanced to do the job.
I'd suggest you do research or ask someone who might know a things or two about a topic before posting utter crap.
The French didn't AGREE to the 36. The French told Mr. Modi that if the Rafale weren't bought, the Scorpions and all, would be in geopardy as the Indians were dragging their feet for years and wasting time. And that the price tag would go up. So to calm the Frenchies down, Modi issued an executive order to buy the Rafale. And in this deal, the French aren't going to honor the TOT as the price is very cheap compared to how they sell these. And they won't follow the off setting laws of India either where 30% of the investment / payment remains in India.
So they really FORCED India to buy these. Same thing with the Apache's and the Chinooks, these discussions have been happening since 2009. The US told India that starting October, the price won't be discounted and actually jumps up by the manufacturer by 40%. That brought Modi with his check book for the UN visit and the things was agreed as a sale.
India just takes too long and they don't seem to be happy with anything. Not realizing that the West has its own defense industry. They don't really "need" India if India didn't exist or was a smaller country. But if India buys it, they'd like more $$$$ as every business does. But that doesn't mean India has "such" an upper hand that it can dictate serious stuff.
So if you need to get more Rafales, you go back to the drawing table again with the French and TOT and all other issues have to be re-discussed. They were VERY clear that the cost they quoted India, didn't allow for them accessories like the TOT and 30% offset, etc. The cost will need to be higher for those things to exist. Or India should go the Russian way
