sasi
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the IAF has lobbied relentlessly for expensive foreign aircraft.
Consider: The cost of 126 Rafales is some $18 billion; 250 Indo-Russian fifth-generation fighters will cost$30-35 billion; and 100-odd Sukhoi-30MKI will cost $10 billion. Add another $10 billionfor C-17 Globemaster III, C-130J Super Hercules and replacing the Avro; $3-4 billion for trainers; and$10-15 billion for the light, utility and combat helicopters currently being procured. That takes the IAF's aircraft purchases to $81-92 billion over the next 10-15 years. Ifthe IAF condescends to buy a few squadrons of Tejas LCA, its shopping list will kiss $100billion.
This wish list is an unaffordable fantasy given the IAF's modernisation budget is $5.7 billion this year. And, given that an aircraft's purchase price is just 20-25% of its life-cycle cost, the MoD should have warned the IAF off costly foreign procurement and towards indigenous design, development and manufacture.Instead, there are pro forma statements, like "whatever our brave soldiers need for defending the country will be made available."
http://ajaishukla.blogspot.in/2013/08/under-defended-india.html
Consider: The cost of 126 Rafales is some $18 billion; 250 Indo-Russian fifth-generation fighters will cost$30-35 billion; and 100-odd Sukhoi-30MKI will cost $10 billion. Add another $10 billionfor C-17 Globemaster III, C-130J Super Hercules and replacing the Avro; $3-4 billion for trainers; and$10-15 billion for the light, utility and combat helicopters currently being procured. That takes the IAF's aircraft purchases to $81-92 billion over the next 10-15 years. Ifthe IAF condescends to buy a few squadrons of Tejas LCA, its shopping list will kiss $100billion.
This wish list is an unaffordable fantasy given the IAF's modernisation budget is $5.7 billion this year. And, given that an aircraft's purchase price is just 20-25% of its life-cycle cost, the MoD should have warned the IAF off costly foreign procurement and towards indigenous design, development and manufacture.Instead, there are pro forma statements, like "whatever our brave soldiers need for defending the country will be made available."
http://ajaishukla.blogspot.in/2013/08/under-defended-india.html