Going by your logic, India has always been on war since its independence.
India doesn't need to be in a war, the goal for the forces, is to be prepared for one! You don't wait for it to happen and then start adding capability somehow.
So how many jets were ordered? 20. But then again IAF was concerned about overweight and engine performance even after the ASR which was formulated back in 1989. So if IAF's ASR was ready so long back, why hadn't they been onboard its development process if they were supporting it. Why wait till the first flight and for 2005 after you order the initial batch?
Fist of all, 40 are on order so far, 20 x IOC and 20 x FOC.
Secondly, what do you mean with waiting for the first flight? They evaluated what ADA developed and came to the conclusion that it doesn't meet the requirements. Just as IN, who were part of the NLCA development, evaluated the fighter after it was available and came to the same conclusions. Both IAF and IN are dependent on what ADA/HAL provides them. The forces only set the general guide lines, they don't draw, design and produce the product.
IAF wanted Tejas to have BVR capability back in 2002 when it was just taking test flight. Fine. But the first Derby started arriving in India by 2008 and then IAF wanted Tejas to complete FOC by 2013 where firing a BVR was a prerequisite.
Again a lot of false statement's. IAF wanted R73/R77 initially, because those missiles were available. Early LCAs even used R60s for test flights, but just as R60 was replaced over time, the long delay in the LCA programme, caused standard modernisation of systems and weapons in IAF and since no indigenous alternatives were available, foreign radar, EW and weapons need to be integrated. Imagine FOC would still wait for Astra, which also is only in LSP so far and how that would have led to more delays.
Expecting all this to be done in a 5 year time frame is unrealistic on part of IAF.
Not if the developer knows what he does, or has experienced development partners at hand. Nobody forced ADA to do everything on their own, CAG even blamed ADA, for not listening to EADS/Airbus, who were hired as a consultant, but their suggestions were particularly ignored, because ADA thought they know it better.
The second batch of 20 LCA was forced feed to IAF literally by M Parrikar and its result was the 2nd and third production line for expedite production process.
Not really, the 20 x FOC were ordered in 2010 under UPA and again, IAF approves the capabilities of the product and therefore the MK1A standard, not MoD. So without IAF support, the Tejas programme would be dead by now.
But AESA is something which could be incorporated as an advancement rather then FOC prerequisite. Moreover on term of IFR, it is a capability needed for air dominance and deep penetration role.
Both incorrect. FOC will get the same pulse doppler radar as IOC, only MK1A and later MK2, will get AESA, because that's the state of the art radar technology today. That's why IAF upgraded Jaguar from the same pulse doppler radar, probably to the same AESA radar as well. No fighter upgrade or new order that comes now, will have less than AESA radar technology.
Also IFR is crucial for air defence fighters as well, to extend the endurance of a patrol mission. Same reason why, Mig 29 or Mirage 2000 added that capability too. Any modern 4th gen fighter has IFR capability, so let's not pretend, that IAF asked for something highly advanced here.
On IN part, Adm Lanba said the most logical thing that development of a fighter jet does take time and thats the reason they are looking out for replacement.
That's not all what he said =>
"The
indigenous aircraft carrier is due to be inducted in 2020. I need deck-based jet fighters by then.
The LCA Navy is nowhere on the horizon. At present, it cannot be operated from the deck. It still has to go through carrier compatibility trials;
it is underpowered; it cannot take off with ordnance. I need a fighter which can operate from an aircraft carrier and is combat-capable," he said.
"
It is a good plane to fly, but what I need is a deck-based fighter that is combat- capable.
https://wap.business-standard.com/a...-navy-by-2022-sunil-lanba-117120100940_1.html
That was probably the most honest assessment of any official, not only addressing the delays, but also it's operational shortfalls. The max official criticism of IAF, was calling it a Mig 21++, or 3.5 gen fighter, just as stating that LCA is not good enough to defend India alone.
The link above shares the L C A Tejas 3D CAD model with 360* color prints.
