The cost of making Mk1 has already been provided by the government. In fact, the cost of Mk1 has been significantly lower. But it is the upgrade to MK1A that costs over 250 crore more is the real concern.
Radar costs about 4 million dollars, roughly 27crore
RCS and other features were already present in MK1 with no addition in Mk1A
Availability of 70% is not relevant as the base cost of tejas is in question, not maintenance charges.
Composite has not been changed from MK1 to MK1A as that will cause change in centre of gravity
6+ sorties a day is required in all fighters. Even Su30 or Mirage 2000 can do that during intense conflict. Considering the low flying time of Tejas of maximum 2 hours a sortie with fuel tanks, 6 sortie is not that hard. Su30 can travel 5000km at a stretch and yet take off again.
All glass cockpit is not a high investment and definitely not something that ca explain $35 million dollar excess cost
Weapons and jammers integration is a difficult thing but yet it is not too expensive as it just requires labour cost of few hundred engineers for a year or so. It is mostly software related.
The question is where did the 20000 crore for 83 MK1A be used? The additions like AESA radar, EW jammers etc can justify about 4000 crores of it. Some other additions like IFR proble, additional assembly line and manufacturing capacity, automation can further justify 6000 crores investment. But where did the rest 10000 crores go?
Cost of ASEA Radar 27 cores OK. WHAT is the cost of integrating it with ASEA EW suits, weapon systems, flight computer etc,
French asked billions for integrating Indian & Russian weapons on Rafale,
If we use same metrics to compare Rafale & sukhoi prices, we might as well set up another, "price discovery committee" for Rafale as well
Tejas Mk1 As will be twice more reliable than sukhoi in operation. No denying the obvious fact.
Even with two engines sukhoi has a host of engine emergency incidents compared to test flight program of Tejas,
Sukhoi deal was struck when Russia was in dire financial straits, in 1990s price.
That too for a version far inferior to the MKI Version flying today.
We don't know who bore the price of various modifications & how contract was negotiated & what was the total life cycle cost of flanker fleet.
If we take the T 90 DEAL which has was negotiated with no armor, gun TOT, we may have many unpleasant surprises I sukhoi negotiation price as well.
First 40 sukhois imported in the deal had a fifteen year holiday in India, because it has none of MKI specs,
Returned to Russia after MKI development was completed, were these things priced into unit costs are not, ,,,,
Even the flight manuals for su 30 MKI were written BY IAF Pilots.
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/jet-fighter-costs-a-complex-problem/
Other than stealth & internal bays, Tejas mk1A has almost all top line techs of F35(whose development costs will be divided by 1000s, compared to 83 for MK1A) .
Some ideas about why modern jets cost more.
Unit price of F A 18 bought by Australia (from 1990 to 2005) comes to around 115 million dollar per piece, around 800 cores per fighter, with no ASEA Radar & Advanced EW Suits asked for in Mk1A by IAF.
Mind the fact that Tejas Mk1 As are to be delivered 4 years down the line with attendant inflation, forex escalation risks. Plus all system integration costs of MK1A has to be priced in, on just 83 MK1 As, can't be passed on to mk2.
Development costs of sukhoi is divided by 2000 units built & flown.
It is comical to compare the price of 40 Mk1 built by HAL to the 83 Tejas Mk1A price.
Do you really think HAL has recouped all its resources invested in Tejas project within the cost of 163 cores per piece 40 Mk1 orders,,,,,
Cost of the new assembly line alone comes to around 2000 cores,
So no use comparing Mk1 A price to Mk1,
IAF never raised the issue of 1000 cores per piece Rafale price in comparing with su 30 mki.
We are yet to know whether prices quoted for sukhoi are unit price or total price with 5 yr support, same for Mk1A price
Price of 400 crore per sukhoi is the price negotiated twenty years before. Not now.
It's evident even to a kid, that price of Mk1s are it about recouping entire cost of HAL's Tejas line.
So comparing it with MK1A price, which is for a full blown dedicated new line, new hardware, to Mk1 is useless.
Also with none of the top line techs that go into MK1A, mirage upgrade costs 50 million dollars per piece,
WHY IAF, MOD, Jorunos didn't root for a "price discovery committee" for mirage upgrades, ,,,
