This is no way a huge advantage of Rafale over Mig 35,considering the price difference,besides when we inducted MKI with N-011M BARS,it wasn't a mature radar either.
I cannot comment on how huge or small the advantage is, apparently it was enough for Rafale & Typhoon's projected AESA specs for RBE-2AA and CAESAR to be superior enough for these plans to be considered for shortlisting. And note that Thales was hoping for a 50% increase in performance/detection ranges over the PESA version...but after testing was completed, upto a 100% increase was achieved. This was confirmed by people who previously worked for Dassault and also those who are currently associated with AdlA.
When we took the decision for buying MKI, we had very little choices, and little finances available. Besides Bars wasn't a totally new/immature design even at that point. It was built on experience with the N-007 Zaslon PESA which shared a similar architecture. But that's irrelevant to the argument.
It was Rafale which was rejected during the evaluation itself not Mig 35
Was it? Or was it also the victim of the kind of misinformation and corporate propaganda which also said that Eurofighter was the frontrunner for MMRCA?
http://www.brahmand.com/news/Eurofighter-frontrunner-for-MMRCA-deal-BAE-official/7097/1/10.html
Fact of the matter was that any decision/rumor of a decision taken before the apparent shortlisting of Rafale & EFT on a performance-based analysis after studying over 600 points, producing easily over 1,000 pages of techical data and evaluation reports on EACH fighter...was either a pure figment of imagination, OR driven by political decisions.
IAF/MoD had formulated the perfect evaluation for all the competitors and the rejected ones never officially went on record saying that any wrong-doing had happened.
After technical evaluation was complete (with both Rafale & EFT meeting IAF-specified requirements), it was the turn of the economic bidding process, where Rafale was declared L1, lowest bidder.
Even though the MMRCA procedure itself did not culminate in contract signature then & there, we are still proceeding ahead with the plane which cleared all technical/economic parameters as originally needed. IF for example, EFT had won MMRCA procedure but then if we had scrapped the tender and went with Rafale instead in a Govt-to-Govt deal, there would be any logical grounds to base an accusation of corruption or any politically or economically-driven wrongdoing wrt to national security! There was neither!
Now WHY did we even go for a G2G deal? I do not know for sure : but by now it must be clear to even the lowest-aware individual that the Rafale we're negotiating for is not the same one on who's technical parameters MMRCA was won : it is a much better version with improved engines, possibility of GaN application in electronics, and only Parrikar, MoD, IAF and the French know what else is being negotiated!
Are we stopping the deal at just a "Buy Rafale, leave" initiative? NO. We are definitely negotiating to get a lot more out of the deal than that. The local production agencies which originally stood to benefit from MMRCA (like HAL), have now changed. MoD is clearly looking to incubate a private-sector aviation industry in India and they want to use this deal as a stepping stone toward that goal.
Most of these ideas may have been clearly unthinkable when MMRCA was first floated in 2007 period. It is most likely that MMRCA was scrapped on these lines. Basically, the only thing that stayed the same was the aircraft we're gonna buy....
pretty much every other aspect of the deal has changed. The good thing is, it has changed for the better, but only if you look at it the right way.
we all know how Defense deals are done in India.with a 9 billion deal its a win win for Middlemen,politicians and Bureaucrats.
Well, if you want to get into a mud-slinging match, accusing corruption in everything, go right ahead. I believe a common citizen of India has all the rights & liberties needed to expose a civil wrongdoing at any level. If you have sufficient evidence, I would actually advise that you go to Court with this.
Let the SPECS speaks for themselves.
All of the BARS specs on the net (including Vayu, APA etc.) are old Mk.1 and some Mk.2 data. Even most of which is outdated.
If at all you consider the MiG-29 as a better air-to-air platform than MKI, maybe you should question why in god's name did IAF, RusAF, PLAAF take the decision to base their respective air-superiority fleets around the Flanker design?
In the end, it doesn't change the fact that IAF is operating BOTH the MKI and the 29UPG, while IN has the 29K. Besides, the Super-MKI upgrade will bring a MIRES-family AESA radar to the MKI, which will easily make it the most powerful Flanker radar in history, even considerably ahead of the IRBIS-E.
Oh and TRISHUL reports that leading edge-mounted L-band AESA arrays are also a possibility for the Super-MKI upgrade.