@Bilal Khan 777
I have refrained from commenting here bcz i knew what you did with your opening post. At times when folks lower the level of threshold, many folks mis fire and among that misfires you collect the most tangible responses which for most of the eyes looks normal, but to the eyes of a professional, it looks like a gold mine.
Indeed the days of holding upto whatever strategy for PAF and PN as of today holds no more value. As a professional and someone whom i personally hold at high esteem owing to your viewpoints, i sincerely believe a rapid new strategy will be unveiled by Pakistan.
About cost, numbers and everything. I would say you can always find out more as you will have access to many such assessments. You were one of the only few ppl who had said kalavari could react 450m and you were in fact pretty close to the figure with which Kalavari did extensive tests. So i saying anything would look childish in front of the data which you will already have in some form.
I do wish to make one small opinion - The kind of customization and restrictions to any aircraft major like Dassault group in which the deal has an mandatory option of 50% of deal value to be invested in India and 74% of the offset goes on local MIC based procurement of components for these Rafales and 26% for the TOT enabling part will give you a vital clue of what we are aiming here..
Indeed it will utterly foolish on the part of our planners if we spend so much of an exorbitant cost for just 36 and in Trappiers own word this is just first of many deals. The conditions of the offsets and the Eric Trappier quotes from interview indicates the Make In India production line point. To a specific point we do have a requirement of 15 squadrons of this weight category. The Rafales produced in India over time will be 10-15% cheaper owing to massive difference in Labour costs and since Trappier is clear that they will like to nurture a private sector company for strategic partnership and to create a ecosystem to build such a plane and improve the over all skillsets.
As a sound planner and a strategist, today marks a decisive victory for both IAF/In and PAF/PN. Yes my side now knows whats coming in big numbers. and Your side knows you cannot delay anymore the plan to identify and procure new jets to meet the evolving threat index. We might be passionate about our Tejas like your side is with JF17, but we both know we cannot kid ourselves of new emerging threats when we say get Rafale+Super Sukhoi+FGFA later and in your side a MLU F16 which is now not so modern+ some plan for a 5th gen jet which is yet not clear. (I have kept aside JF17 Blk3 for non emotional reason.) In a way and as a avid planner, i think this is a blessing for Pakistan. Now all the upper echelon cannot be complacent nor be blind for their love of existing assets type alone. result will be quick scramble to find a solution. But i worry and i hope really you dont go for quick fix, rather find solutions which can meet the long term needs but with calm cool thinking instead of knee jerk reaction of buying something for 2 sqds and proclaiming we have bought deterrence against Indian Rafale acquisition.
Hope i am not offensive in any manner, as i said what i felt i should say dispassionately and with a straight logical+rational approach.