New Light On WhyIndia RejectedThe F-16 & F/A-18

[IndianTiger]

ASHLEY J TELLIS, commentator and senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment has a new piece in India's FORCE magazine which quite substantially fleshes out the stated reasons why the two US contenders in
India's M-MRCA fighter competition -- the F-16IN and F/A-18E/F -- were eliminated in a late April decision. Both Boeing and Lockheed-Martin, which have been quite silent since the decision, appear to have got their side of things across quite amply (and in great detail) through Mr Tellis. For starters, they've shown him those rejection letters they got. Here's the juice: Tellis' report notes that the F-16IN was found non- compliant on five counts: "growth potential, carefree handling (and automatic sensing of external stores), sustained
turn rate, engine change time, and assurance against obsolescence over a 15-year period. " Tellis puts the F-16IN's failure to meet the IAF's enging change time requirement down "largely to an idiosyncratic mishap during the field trials". He writes, "It is certain that if the trials were to involve multiple stochastic demonstrations of engine change, the F-16IN would have easily made the mark. Unfortunately, second chances are sometimes not available, and the IAF, for its own reasons, chose not to accept Lockheed Martin’s subsequent evidence of being able to meet the engine change standards laid down in the ASQR." Tellis also suggests that the "blurry" nature of the reasons why the F/A-18 was rejected give him doubt about whether the IAF gave the Super Hornet an "equitable shot". He notes that the reasons Boeing was given for the rejection of the F/A-18 were four: "the maturity of its engine design, the growth potential of its engine, assorted performance shortfalls, and issues related to special preventative maintenance
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[illuminatidinesh]

I dont know about the reason what ever he says but NO TOT No Thanks.

 

[axisofevil]

Tellis is too Americanized to see the reality. Sure cozying up to America would ve done us good but I gues in the long run there are more ventures where we can collaborate. The fact is the American planes could not compete with Europeans and TOT. Also, the F16 was in hands for a long time. I prefer the F16 silent eagle to the F18

 

[Zabaniyah]

Tellis is too Americanized to see the reality. Sure cozying up to America would ve done us good but I gues in the long run there are more ventures where we can collaborate. The fact is the American planes could not compete with Europeans and TOT. Also, the F16 was in hands for a long time. I prefer the F16 silent eagle to the F18

You mean the F-15 Silent Eagle? It is still under development and was not a candidate during the competition.

 

[Jungibaaz]

isn't it obvious??? a machine that your enemy has been using for 30 years?? why buy an F-16?

 

[Nirvana]

F-16 was Never in Race and TOT was issue , No chance for F - 18

 

[fast]

It's a big loss for India.

 

[Kinetic]

AJT is a well known US arms sellers agent. Read his many articles and related tactics to pressure Indian govt.