Also would it be beneficial to point out that most parts of Tejas (for our own use or export) are ready except the most important one.. THE ENGINE.
Engine is the reason for most of the delay with IAF refusing to accept Tejas with the Kaveri that was available citing that TWR Ratio is not acceptable.
With our own engine (which should be ready thanks to offset of the Rafale deal) the cost of buying, operating. maintaining and even upgrading would be cheaper or competetive to similar figures from F-16 or Gripen, Further I do not see any other plane so widely tested as Tejas for various environments from hot deserts of Rajasthan or the high altitudes of Leh., It is a LMRCA designed by India, for the India specific needs. Further what about the point of using India specific weapons? For example India is developing some missiles like Astra or Sudarshan etc, for these to be incorporated on Tejas would be cheaper and more easy than to getting them incorporated on F-16 and Gripen, You seen how much France added for India specific changes? ITs not that France was unfair, but incorporating these weapons on Tejas will be cheaper, faster as we would not be at the mercy of the foreign vendor.
Also the weapons that India would uses, some of the confidential part should be informed to the foreign vendor so that those can be incorporated. So if we have to incorporate say Astra on F-16 some confidential information would have to be passed to LM for them to then tweak the codes etc and to certify the use of Astra on F-16 and that means part of the technology would not remain so confidential. But if its Tejas , then those critical information is not going to sit on American desk. would this point be important?
Well, we need a counter argument to the Air Force's immediate need to induct more fighters. That was the best that I could come up with. What is the Boeing option?
The argument that Tejas is not in the same class as F-16 will give wind to F-16 induction.
Will be added to the body of point no. 3.6.2