For God Sake, Why all of the people are bickering over certain situations which are co-decided/planned by both RAF and IAF together..
Firstly, results in favour of IAF should not surprise many. Simple bcz any UK citizen or UK def Enthusiast know that RAF training program is plagued with problems. In the last 5 years the training regime is in shambles and was widely reported in media (google search will help folks). Its not like IAF or PAF whose training regime is inhouse designed, coordinated or followed up meticulously. RAF training regime is OUTSOURCED to a third party. If i recall correctly a report to the UK government stated that EF training program for pilots were found to have deficiencies and are at least running 4-5 years behind schedule.
What does that the mean or imply? Simple.. No doubt EF is a beast but the RAF pilots are not yet in a league to get the best out of this beast yet. This leaves a situation that many airforces be it IAF (or even PAF) can smartly engage in training exercises and come out with a much better result/performance simply bcz a professional in house trained AF who knows its warplane better coupled with an experienced pilot(s) could perform much better any day.
Secondly, no one de-means Eurofighter by any chance.. EF/Rafale are couple of finest birds ever manufactured and the plethora of tech advancement it brings to the battle field is astonishing. In that sense its an awesome bird and a good technological generation above Su30 MKI. Of course MKI is made 15-20 years before EF and MKI still has not got the MLU programs so of course the comparable technologies of time is absent in MKI but what the biggest issue in a MKI is lack of much bigger upgrades like sensor fusion and in ability to reduce its so called "RCS" drastically. In both these sense, MKI at present form may not be very potent platform in a typical well trained and experienced Airforce who engages in BVR combat. Perhaps EW suites can help a bit but still MKI presently is definitely lagging in BVR segment.
What does this imply? at engagement restriction of BVR simulation for offensive/defensive at 25/22 kms means EF has not utilised the potency of BVR combat. oF course this is agreed as part of training modules. A more detailed view can be looked and understood when MKI is upgraded to Super 30 standard (MLU) and RAF training issues are sorted (as pointed out in point 1) and the BVR engagement is done at around 60-75 kms mark at least. Unfortunately since IAF is not part of NATO AFs as well as EF is not bought by India it would be extremely difficult to get such a scenario agreement as both birds and pilots i assume has to be at least at 70%-80% plus unlocked potential (without restriction i mean). This is tough to imagine.
Thirdly and most importantly, Irrespective of whether MKI scored a big scoreline or not, the exercises are simulated conditions... Its good if the pilots fare well and strategies work out.. But real engagements are far far different, hostile and intensives. i do not question the efficacy of EF or Rafale sorties and pounding over the African points.. But a good well trained Airforce can devise strategies with which even a 3rd generation bird can give a good fight in a real battle situation. (not saying it would be a favourable result in favour of legacy fighters) Thus, we all should be proud but we should not be under any illusion that MKI is the very best in the world. No Aircraft is BEST.. Its a well trained Unit which makes the aircraft and its pilots and the entire support team awesome if it can pull through the strategies knowing very well whats best with the bird and whats the restrictions/weakness in the day it requires it the most (birds has to be available to sortie mandatorily)..
My personal take: Since we are yet to see a EF/Rafale (the very best of 4th gen) or F35/F22 or Chinese 5th Gen or PAKFA/T50 (russia and India both) in Sub continental Airforces, at present it makes MKI a formidable platform to reckon with. But come another 20-25 years the changing capabilities of newer technologies integrated into 5th Generation platforms would be challenging for any 4th generation bird especially MKI as the present potency of Super 30 upgrade MLU is relatively unknown. Good thing is the more advanced platforms are costly so we wont see them mass produced just yet. Hence MKI or upgraded MKI will be a good beast for next 25 years.. (in the context that we wont see 350-400 Efs/Rafales operating in a single AF, 5th Gen would be more costly.. again in subcontinent context)
just to add to my point 1 about RAF training nightmares
£3.2bn military pilot training scheme falls six years behind schedule | Politics | The Guardian
Main points
- A £3.2bn programme to train military pilots through an outsourcing consortium is nearly six years behind schedule,
- A report by the National Audit Office said the 25-year contract to train aircrew was supposed to be running at full capacity by 2014. Delays have meant that it will not be operating as planned until the end of 2019.
- The MoD trains crew for each of the armed services, including Wildcat helicopter pilots for the navy, Apache helicopter pilots for the army, and Typhoon fighter pilots for the air force.
- Ascent, a consortium of the two firms Lockheed Martin and Babcock International, was originally awarded the 25-year contract to train aircrew in 2008. The contract meant that up to 480 pilots and their crew would receive “core training” – including training exercises on how to fly helicopters and jets and use weapon systems.
- Auditors found that civil servants during the early years of the contract had “significant concerns” about Ascent’s performance. MoD officials were worried by rising costs and delays as well as the quality of the training, the report said, and “the department was concerned that Ascent was showing corporate and individual behaviours that undermined its partnering abilities”.
- Civil servants struggled to hold Ascent to account, the report said. The MoD has so far paid more than £143m for the training contract, and has only been able to claw back £308,000 in deductions for Ascent’s failure to meet its responsibilities.
- Delays were in part due to the substantial cuts in the numbers of aircrew undergoing training, which had seen the value of the contract cut from £6.8bn to £3.2bn. The number of pilots expected to be trained has dropped to 250.
- Philip Dunne, the minister for defence procurement, welcomed the report. “The programme had a difficult start after initial contracts were let under a PFI contract in 2008,” he said. “We are now on a much firmer footing and moving forward to deliver flight training for aircrew, more rapidly and efficiently, with greater flexibility to adapt to new platforms.”
