Re: HJT 36 Project a complete failure
Has Sitara Project been scrapped completely? If not, it's again media's spin doctors working on behalf of middlemen and foreign companies on the same lines that we we had seen in the case of Tejas!
talking about media middle man,
MODI government's 132000 crore headache-by pranay sharma,-OUTLOOK
The article is a clever attempt to obfuscate the real issues around the rafale deal.
To start with the blurb goes like"India's search for 5th gen fighter jet is on the cusp.". It confirmed my long held suspicion these so called defence features are cone by people who have no understanding of the matters regarding the stuff they write.
Simply put rafale is 5th gen only in price, by technology it is 4.5th gen like tejas .Without even knowing that journos write whatever they wish , and give the article the color they want to give.
The journo says the non completion of rafale deal is the reason for the depleting squadron strength!!! He does not seem to know that rafale is going to perpetuate the lower squadron numbers of IAF with huge cost it takes to buy the 126 planes for a long time to come.
Another interesting snippet was,"Initially it was thought that Mirage-200o must be upgraded,But later that idea was junked and search began for a newer better combat jet". Well some one forgot to tell the journo that the mirage-2000 upgrade was not junked but it is being pursued at a huge cost of 45 million dollar per plane.
"Since the indian economy was booming ,the politcal bosses had told the IAF top brass to go for the best and not to worry about the cost"------Does that mean buying a 4.5th gen fighter at a 5th gen cost at 5th gen time frame? SO does all the reasoning that IAF needed an MMRCA that should weigh below 30 ton , which was the governing principle behind MMRCA tender as peddled by various worthies of IAF in stratpost conference not correct?
is this the reason for buying rafale not worrying about the cost!!!!
At least the journo got one quote right, each rafale costs 200 million and above a quote by Rahul Bedi defence analyst. Then all the guys who are lying here hoping up and down , when bhrath karnard said that each aircraft will cost upwards 238 million dollars as offered to brazil can calm down for a while.SO4.5 the gen rafale is going to cost more than 5th gen FGFA it seems,
And a jump cut by K.C .pant has the following quote,
"other than SU-30 MKIs procured in 1990s the IAF's squadrons have a shrinking strength due to depleting core of Mig-21 "
The number of Sukhois procured is not just one or two but 272 in total. So it is not as if no new fighter was procured through out the 2000-2010 period. Every year a fixed number of SU-30 MKis are rolling out from HAL lines. SO if depleting squadron strength is the issue , then more SU-30 MKI numbers and tejas mk1, mk2 numbers automatically settle the issue.
On the contrary rafale is going to contribute to the shrinking squadron strength by concentrating more than 22 billion dollars in just 6 squadrons. With 22 billion dollars we can raise more than 12 squadrons of SU-30 MKI whose entire production is indigenized(even SCB tech for AL-31 engine is in our hands according to our resident expert here!!!!) Then why should we do the exact opposite if we have to arrest the shrinking squadron strength?Or we can add more than 30 squadrons of Tejas for the price of 6 rafale squadrons a sure fire recipie to double the IAF squadron strength with a fighter whose radar is bigger than rafale.
And then comes the parting shot"With cost over runs and delays reports indicate that IAf's unhappiness with performance /technical features of PAKFA ". SO now IAF rates PAKFA over rafale, even Karlo Kopp would faint at such radical airpower analysis!!!!
Is PAKFA really that bad? Worse than rafale as per IAF?
Well I suspected something cooking when earlier reports indicating the supposed shortfalls of FGFA or PAKFA was aired very vigorously some times back. Now it sems it is all the work of MMRCA lobbies is sure .
Well this is the shortest cover story I have ever read. It had no features about the competing fighters ability or whether local alternatives are good enough. Just a few big photos of rafales and "expert opinion" favorably pitched does the job.
Well I never thought that OUTLOOK could throw much on a product chosen by UPA joint. So I was surprised to read the headline at the news stand and bought the book. After reading it I felt perfectly satisfied that OUTLOOK is still the best sickular UPA official publication.
The article is an artful dodge sen ofetn in the world cup foot ball, nothing about educating the readers on the real issues involved as usual , so typical of our sickular press.
In all the din the real issue that rafale is eating into tejas squadron share is clearly papered over.