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Su-30 TOT level is quite high. HAL is not exactly an icon of efficiency. Slippages and QC problems are persistent at HAL. Despite that HAL is churning out Su-30 according to target. This means that Su-30 facilities have been ramped up and production has been harmonized. The Su-30 inductions are...

@grampiguy, the available information is India does have TOT of Al-31 engine. Whether some parts still come from Russia is a different issue, as it may have happened due to shortcomings at Indian factories.

Fuel being a cause is possible only if contamination occurs in storage or transport. It is unlikely to come from factory. The fuel is checked before filling. Excessive vibration can be caused by mechanical problems in the engine. Faulty bearing can be the reason, as is said in the news...

Su-30MKI engine problems will be sorted out eventually. This is a very good product (China has bought a lot of them despite having Western tech as you say). China's military capacity is growing VERY FAST and there is no way India can catch up now. The best is to let the storm pass. A flexible...

@uoftotaku, India cannot copy China or USA blindly. It won't work. The solution will come from using Indian brainpower and natural resources effectively. The private sector needs to be involved in defence manufacturing. The public sector needs to made competitive. The government is taking...

@uoftotaku - the answer to your questions is in two parts - a. money, b. culture. China can do anything to get what it wants. This culture is simply absent in India. India will fail if it blindly copies China. India should look at what is possible. A dispassionate discussion is far better than...

Yes true. But that does not mean India will acquire Western tech by magic. Your post only proves that shortcuts do not work and only hard work and perseverance results in success. India is developing its own engines and the effort will surely bear fruit. Till then improving Russian engines makes...

The important point is to fix the problems. The causes must be investigated dispassionately and then engineering solutions sought. Problems can arise with any platform. Only constant improvement can result in efficient utilization of a platform. HAL must look at partnerships with private...

It is not the fuel, it is oil. Fuel and oil are different things.

I believe fuel is checked before filling into an aircraft. The filling is through a high pressure pump. The transfer of fuel is from storage tank to truck, and then truck to the aircraft. Fuel quality can be an issue if a. water seeps into fuel storage tanks; b. fuel is improper grade...

Theoretically chips can be engine damage. However jet turbines don't disintegrate into chips in engine oil. All we can hope is there is dispassionate inquiry into the causes. If IAF is having big problems in maintaining Su-30, then it is logical to involve the OEM (HAL) under an onsite...

Why not go for unmanned planes and cruise missiles for attack? A cruise missile costs 1M-1.5M. It needs very little maintenance, typically sealed in containers. You can buy quite a few in the price of one Rafale. With INGPS now almost deployed, and AWACS planes with local tech now available...

The broadsword table is likely IAF wishlist. The funniest is 123 NEW Tejas cost 20K while 125 Jaguar-upgrade cost 18K. Who will approve a Jaguar upgrade for 18K while NEW Tejas can be bought for the same price? AMCA expenditure cannot be predicted. Only R&D part is predictable.

Good thing is that problems are getting resolved. "chips" in oil is weird. I hope they get to the bottom of the problem.

@SajeevJino, pure commercial deal is not possible in defence field. Security implications are always there with defence tech. Only countries that have favorable political leanings should be considered.

The important issue is how well a foreign partner works with the local industry.

It is OK if Russia is selling to China. That is a proof that Russian goods are good.

People love to think of French as strategic partner but this is a mistake. The only true and tested friend of India is Russia. The French are here only for money.

Can you compare this Indo-Russian project to an Indo-French project?? Let us compare apples to apples. The fact is Scorpene project is AN ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE.

I am asking a categorical question? How many people posting here have handled a complex project running in hundreds of millions of dollars? I have read the audit report and all I can see is remarkable success of Su-30 project. None of the so called Indo-french projects have been so successful...