Cost worry on Rafale and Tejas

Zebra

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Cost worry on Rafale and Tejas

Published July 19, 2015 | By admin
SOURCE: TELEGRAPH INDIA

The “stopgap arrangement” to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Paris visit in April, is estimated to cost the exchequer about Rs 800 crore per plane plus the cost of weapons and munitions, a defence source has told The Telegraph.

In other words, the 36 planes will cost Rs 28,800 crore.

To add to the air force’s worries about depleting force levels, a light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas that was recently in field trials in Jaisalmer returned to Bangalore with a major technical fault: its undercarriage was down.

The first of the Tejas aircraft had been handed over to the air force in January this year pending a final operational clearance for the plane, which, it was hoped, would come by December. That hope is receding.

The Jaisalmer incident has further sapped the air force’s confidence in the LCA. A former air force chief, Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik, had famously described the LCA as MiG 21-plus. The MiG 21 is of 1970s vintage.

“I wonder if you would go to a car showroom today,” said the defence source, “and ask to buy a 1984 model Maruti.”

The cost of the Rafale was one of the primary reasons that prompted the Modi government to rethink the contract after seven years of trials.

A contract negotiation committee is still in talks to fix the precise cost of the aircraft. The committee is not going into the technical specifications or trials of the aircraft because that is presumed to have been done during the trials through which the Rafale was selected for the air force’s requirement of 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft.

But the air force is worried that the procurement process is not fast enough to meet its requirement of fighter aircraft after it “number-plates” three squadrons by the end of this financial year.

“Number-plating” of squadrons is done after the aircraft of a particular unit are phased out – retired from service – or reallocated to other units to meet their shortages. Technically, the squadrons are still “alive” but they are bereft of planes.

Typically, a fighter squadron in India’s air force has 16 aircraft (plus two in reserve). By next March, the air force will have retired about 50 aircraft without adding any fighter jet to its inventory.

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar had said the government would seek to meet the requirement of the air force’s fighter fleet by hastening the production of the Tejas. But the Tejas neither has the capabilities the air force requires from a medium multi-role aircraft, nor is operational.

At about Rs 800 crore apiece, the Rafale is not cheap, either. The Sukhoi 30Mki, the most modern aircraft in the air force’s inventory, currently costs between Rs 420 and 430 crore, the source said. But it is the time and cost overrun relating to the LCA that is probably more expensive, cumulatively. The LCA was expected to be delivered in 1993.
 

pmaitra

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Defence minister Manohar Parrikar had said the government would seek to meet the requirement of the air force’s fighter fleet by hastening the production of the Tejas. But the Tejas neither has the capabilities the air force requires from a medium multi-role aircraft, nor is operational.
It is true that the LCA is a light aircraft, not a medium aircraft.

It should not be expected to fulfil the role of a medium aircraft, just like the MiG-21 should not be expected to be a ground attack aircraft.
 

Zebra

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Former minister of state for defence, answered a question on the floor, regarding Su-30 mki cost.
The author can refer the actual cost of Su-30 mki with it.
 

pmaitra

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We can get two Sukhoi-30s (almost) for the cost of one Rafale. This is ridiculous. What can a Rafale do that a Sukhoi-30 cannot?
 

Zebra

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It is true that the LCA is a light aircraft, not a medium aircraft.

It should not be expected to fulfil the role of a medium aircraft, just like the MiG-21 should not be expected to be a ground attack aircraft.
It doesn't make sense to see fighter jet aircrafts as light, medium or heavy category.
Better, should see them as interceptor, strike or air superiority aircraft.
 

Zebra

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We can get two Sukhoi-30s (almost) for the cost of one Rafale. This is ridiculous. What can a Rafale do that a Sukhoi-30 cannot?
They will never ever get 90% of operational readiness with Su-30 mki.
 
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Zebra

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Operational cost of Su-30 mki will be always very high.
 

Zebra

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Idiots, can't decide what fighter aircrafts they should buy.

OR

Its a conspiracy with Indian people.
Their govts are not spending enough on defence.

They purposely kept and still keeping Indian forces under armed, specially just before the cold war 2 get start.
 

pmaitra

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It doesn't make sense to see fighter jet aircrafts as light, medium or heavy category.
Better, should see them as interceptor, strike or air superiority aircraft.
I agree with you. The roles matter more than the size, although size does matter. A light fighter cannot be a bomber. A Sukhoi-30 can double up as a bomber as well as a fighter, but the LCA can only be a fighter.

The LCA is best suited as an interceptor, and so is the MiG-21. The MiG-21 was designed to be a high altitude fighter, but I don't understand why it was used for ground attack. We lost MiG-27 in Kargil, and then lost another one, a MiG-21. Refer to the Nachiketa/Ahuja incident. We also lost a good pilot when the second one was shot down.

This stop-gapism has to stop.
 

Blackwater

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India should stop doing baniya giri, just buy ,pakis bhikhari giri kar ke age nikal gaya
 

Zebra

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I agree with you. The roles matter more than the size, although size does matter. A light fighter cannot be a bomber. A Sukhoi-30 can double up as a bomber as well as a fighter, but the LCA can only be a fighter.

The LCA is best suited as an interceptor, and so is the MiG-21. The MiG-21 was designed to be a high altitude fighter, but I don't understand why it was used for ground attack. We lost MiG-27 in Kargil, and then lost another one, a MiG-21. Refer to the Nachiketa/Ahuja incident. We also lost a good pilot when the second one was shot down.

This stop-gapism has to stop.

They are not allowed to buy decent fighter jet aircrafts as per their use and requirements.
 

Zebra

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laughingbuddha

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To add to the air force’s worries about depleting force levels, a light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas that was recently in field trials in Jaisalmer returned to Bangalore with a major technical fault: its undercarriage was down.

The first of the Tejas aircraft had been handed over to the air force in January this year pending a final operational clearance for the plane, which, it was hoped, would come by December. That hope is receding.

The Jaisalmer incident has further sapped the air force’s confidence in the LCA. A former air force chief, Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik, had famously described the LCA as MiG 21-plus. The MiG 21 is of 1970s vintage.

“I wonder if you would go to a car showroom today,” said the defence source, “and ask to buy a 1984 model Maruti.”
 

manindra

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I agree with you. The roles matter more than the size, although size does matter. A light fighter cannot be a bomber. A Sukhoi-30 can double up as a bomber as well as a fighter, but the LCA can only be a fighter.

The LCA is best suited as an interceptor, and so is the MiG-21. The MiG-21 was designed to be a high altitude fighter, but I don't understand why it was used for ground attack. We lost MiG-27 in Kargil, and then lost another one, a MiG-21. Refer to the Nachiketa/Ahuja incident. We also lost a good pilot when the second one was shot down.

This stop-gapism has to stop.
MIG 21 was not in ground attack role in Kargil 1999.
Fl Lt. Nachiketa's MIG 27 downed during bombing sortie due to gas inhaled in engine intake during rocket firing.
Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja gone to recce mission in MIG 21 to find MIG 27 debris but due to very low attitude (as we didn't had such sensetive recce pod like today at those time) his plane shot down by MANPAD.
 

pmaitra

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MIG 21 was not in ground attack role in Kargil 1999.
Fl Lt. Nachiketa's MIG 27 downed during bombing sortie due to gas inhaled in engine intake during rocket firing.
Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja gone to recce mission in MIG 21 to find MIG 27 debris but due to very low attitude (as we didn't had such sensetive recce pod like today at those time) his plane shot down by MANPAD.
You are right about what you say. My point is, why was that MiG-21 flying at low altitude, considering ground level there was several thousand feet high. That is not what a MiG-21 supposed to do.
 

manindra

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You are right about what you say. My point is, why was that MiG-21 flying at low altitude, considering ground level there was several thousand feet high. That is not what a MiG-21 supposed to do.
As I said in my previous reply that we does not had sensitive recce pod on that time.
 

Yumdoot

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It does not matter whether you have a Oblique Photography pod in the area or not. IAF should have had it. Shoulder fired SAMs have been Afghanistan-Pakistan area since 80s.

And did the IAF mend its ways after these pilots were sacrificed? Recall Nubra-4. The then wise guys thought M-17s are better than Mig21s for rocket attacks and thus they planned the missions.
 

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