Because of COld War hang over which still afflicts both American and India officials leading to lack of trust. There are no other logical reason.
Right. So we induct or have contracts for C-17, C-130, P-8Is, Apaches and we have the colonial hangover as recent as 2010. Funny, since I am beginning to wonder who we signed the Nuclear deal with.
The US was able to make us a de-facto nuclear power overnight outside the NPT framework, and we are still stuck in the colonial hangover.
Heck we are even beginning to talk of JVs along the lines of Brahmos. The Americans were also talking about providing technology that is currently only reserved for closest allies.
Cold war indeed. IAF's choice to go for FGFA has nothing to do with the cold war, rather it is for obviously different reasons.
Why am I not surprised? Every Indian (or Indian participated) product is always declared the "best in the World!"
With the exception of Brahmos, which even today there is no equivalent and will not be for another 5 years or more, nobody has claimed anything in India to be the best in the world.
Only FGFA is touted to be the "most advanced" in the world for very simple and very obvious reasons that cannot be countered at all by any country with current technology or plans within the immediate future, including the F-35. None at all. Even known future projects that haven't yet fully started are nowhere close.
It has more to do with politics, cost and the limits on the high tech accessories/weapons being made available by Uncle...
What are you talking about? Only one of the above actually qualified, cost. The US had offered AESA. The Malaysians did not test the AESA, but it was going to be part of the final contract as competition to the MKM's ESA radar. Both Block 1 and Block 2 versions were compared.
Had Malaysia chosen SH, they would have been the third country to get the AESA after UAE and Australia.
Regardless, the MKM was cheaper and still the better aircraft.
