Indian Air Force: News & Discussions

[flanker99]

Not in sufficient number considering we are operating 100+ jaguars and 50 mig21 which will be retired soon.
Sanctioned squadron strength is 42 so we require at least 10 squadron of mk1a/mk1 which will be around 200-220.
Also the availability rate of su30 has gone dramatically low after ukrain war and upgrade is also pending due to lack of spares

It doesn't make sense to order 200+ mk1a they have limited range and payload. Imo we should order some 2-3 sqd more and be done with the type mk2 is the real beast we should be ordering in huge numbers

 

[jai jaganath]

It doesn't make sense to order 200+ mk1a they have limited range and payload. Imo we should order some 2-3 sqd more and be done with the type mk2 is the real beast we should be ordering in huge numbers

Then we have to wait till 2030-31 as mk2 will be ready as stated by iaf chief

 

[silverghost]

It doesn't make sense to order 200+ mk1a they have limited range and payload. Imo we should order some 2-3 sqd more and be done with the type mk2 is the real beast we should be ordering in huge numbers

You are absolutely right. Mk1 and Mk1A are at best replacements for Mig 21 & IAF should conserve it's money. Ask ADA to accelerate the Mk2 program & order 200 Mk2. The Jaguar needs to be sent to Junkyard, let's order 2 squadrons of Rafales in fly-away condition to replace them.

 

[flanker99]

Then we have to wait till 2030-31 as mk2 will be ready as stated by iaf chief

There is no perfect solution its win some lose some

 

[flanker99]

You are absolutely right. Mk1 and Mk1A are at best replacements for Mig 21 & IAF should conserve it's money. Ask ADA to accelerate the Mk2 program & order 200 Mk2. The Jaguar needs to be sent to Junkyard, let's order 2 squadrons of Rafales in fly-away condition to replace them.

Jags are being upgraded and will serve till mk2 replace them ...i don't like it but what choice do we have...rafale repeat order is must

 

[SilentlAssassin265]

It doesn't make sense to order 200+ mk1a they have limited range and payload. Imo we should order some 2-3 sqd more and be done with the type mk2 is the real beast we should be ordering in huge numbers

We need aircraft with cheaper operating cost too.
Murica also ordered f18 and f15 when they alreay had 5th genjust to refuce operating cost.
Range is not a big issue on western front as porkistani bases are only 200-300km from border.

 

[SilentlAssassin265]

Jags are being upgraded and will serve till mk2 replace them ...i don't like it but what choice do we have...rafale repeat order is must

Rafale can be ordered but not without another circus by opposition and at that cost of 36 raflae we will get like 80 mk1a

 

[mist_consecutive]

A doubt
Looking at dire state of squadron strength why isn't pmo interfering or showing its action
Do they want to ignore by acting as unaware about the issue

Read this post of mine - https://defenceforumindia.com/threads/indian-air-force-news-discussions.57142/post-2329966

PMO cares naught about what happens in the country except for getting more votes for BJP.

 

[ezsasa]

Read this post of mine - https://defenceforumindia.com/threads/indian-air-force-news-discussions.57142/post-2329966

PMO cares naught about what happens in the country except for getting more votes for BJP.

c'mon mate, the kid is already a bundle of insecurities, he might presume your reading of sequence of events to be true.

India orders 36 French-made Rafale fighter jets - PM Modi
2015

India orders 36 French-made Rafale fighter jets - PM Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday he had ordered 36 "ready-to-fly" French-made Rafale fighter jets to modernise his country's ageing warplane fleet as neighbouring states upgraded their military hardware.

www.reuters.com

India, France ink deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets
2018

Read more at:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-france-ink-deal-for-36-rafale-fighter-jets/articleshow/54478473.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cpps

 

[flanker99]

We need aircraft with cheaper operating cost too.
Murica also ordered f18 and f15 when they alreay had 5th genjust to refuce operating cost.
Range is not a big issue on western front as porkistani bases are only 200-300km from border.

Range, payload,electronics is an issue which is why both IAF and ada/hal went for a bigger mk2....

 

[flanker99]

Rafale can be ordered but not without another circus by opposition and at that cost of 36 raflae we will get like 80 mk1a

80 mk1a is not equal to 36 rafale/mrca both are of different categories for different roles ...im for more mk1a but its foolish to think ordering more mk1a will be the panacea for all of IAF's problem...

 

[SilentlAssassin265]

Range, payload,electronics is an issue which is why both IAF and ada/hal went for a bigger mk2....

I am not saying don't order mk2 I am saying it doesn't exists and Air force urgently needs fighter jet.
Hal already has an extra production line which can be used for increasing production rate of mk1a to 24 jets a year.
The same facilities will be used later for mk2

 

[SilentlAssassin265]

80 mk1a is not equal to 36 rafale/mrca both are of different categories for different roles ...im for more mk1a but its foolish to think ordering more mk1a will be the panacea for all of IAF's problem...

It won't solve the problem but rather soften the problem.
For Local production of MRFA fighter we will need to build a production line first which itself will take years.
My solution is order 83 additional mk1a, increase production rate then order 200 mk2 as soon as it's ready and forget about MRFA

 

[flanker99]

It won't solve the problem but rather soften the problem.
For Local production of MRFA fighter we will need to build a production line first which itself will take years.
My solution is order 83 additional mk1a, increase production rate then order 200 mk2 as soon as it's ready and forget about MRFA

This is something i agree but disagree with the no imo we shouldn't order more than 2-3 sqdrn of mk1a..resources are limited and we shouldn't over invest in a platform with limited capability but we could look at ordering cats mothership varient

 

[johnj]

Not in sufficient number considering we are operating 100+ jaguars and 50 mig21 which will be retired soon.
Sanctioned squadron strength is 42 so we require at least 10 squadron of mk1a/mk1 which will be around 200-220.
Also the availability rate of su30 has gone dramatically low after ukrain war and upgrade is also pending due to lack of spares

Lca mk1 series of jets only replace mig21 role, not jaguar, mig23, mig27, m2k, mig29. IAF already ordered 123 lca and ada/hal only able to deliver less than 40[32] aircraft so far and further order depends on the capability of new version of mk1[mk1a] and ada performance in developing mwf, means around 2024~2025. Order comes in batches not in a single go.
Additional order of LCA MK1 depends on - the capability of jet, performance/efficiency of HAL & ADA.
IAF need more % of mmrca/mrfa/mwf in its force compared to heavy/light.

 

[The Shrike]

If I'm not wrong, NDA 2's record in buying fighters is about the same as UPA's 10 years (and I don't think any new fighters are getting in the remaining year or so).
UPA = 40 + 40 MKI + 40 LCA Mk1
NDA 2 = 36 Rafael + 83 LCA Mk1A
Something to consider before doing political blame games.

 

[johnj]

If I'm not wrong, NDA 2's record in buying fighters is about the same as UPA's 10 years (and I don't think any new fighters are getting in the remaining year or so).
UPA = 40 + 40 MKI + 40 LCA Mk1
NDA 2 = 36 Rafael + 83 LCA Mk1A
Something to consider before doing political blame games.

What about NDA 1 ?

 

[The Shrike]

What about NDA 1 ?

140 MKI (though there were deals for a few 10's of non MKI models a few years earlier).
37 additional Jaguars
10 additional Mirage-2000s (though these were signed in 2004, I'm not clear if it was NDA or UPA).
All this in ~6 years. Corrections welcome.

 

[blackleaf]

It doesn't make sense to order 200+ mk1a they have limited range and payload. Imo we should order some 2-3 sqd more and be done with the type mk2 is the real beast we should be ordering in huge numbers

Pakistan's plan was for 250 similarly limited range and payload JF-17s. For a defensive war a small, light weight, cheap fighter with ASEA radar that can be acquired in numbers is needed. A LCA is fine on the Pakistan border as Pakistan lacks strategic depth. Also we could acquire the MK1s in number relatively quickly since it is currently in production and cheap. 250 MK1 would negate whatever numerical advantage that Pakistan has and free up the larger SU-30s and Rafale for the China border.

 

[jai jaganath]

It won't solve the problem but rather soften the problem.
For Local production of MRFA fighter we will need to build a production line first which itself will take years.
My solution is order 83 additional mk1a, increase production rate then order 200 mk2 as soon as it's ready and forget about MRFA

Having 250 mk1a is necessity nothing can fulfill that and it shouldn't be executed after delivery of mk1a but within 2-3 years things should move to orders and increase the production line in order to deliver it early
This will help us to maintain our losing edge to Pakistan forget China we will think later