Isn't F 35 a project in making since 1980's ? ( i don't know - hence I ask). if so , how do we justify having India roll out a prototype to be tested in less than 9 years?
The thing is, ADA is doing an Arihant on us with the AMCA. We don't know how far the aircraft has progressed and being 5th gen and all that, we won't be given the details too soon and will be on a need-to-know basis only. In fact, when Arihant began, there were only rumours of a submarine project and people were laughing it off as well. So I don't think it would be a gasbag like what Tejas took time due to external factors. Tejas if not anything, has given ADA confidence of making a fighter. They had to take the baby steps before making the big one.
AMCA from what I understand, has already been successful in the design of a radar evading model. The 2008 pics say it all. The design although has not been frozen, even the JSF wasn't initially. Now guessing from the figures of JSF programme I am to take that it is a fine piece of tech but Americans tend to sometimes over-spend or overestimate something and hence the big figures.
How do start an AMCA design , when the design of FGFA has not been started yet? is it not important to learn from the FGFA project and its design? or I have it all confused now
AMCA designs have already been started long back.. the project model has been revealed almost twice (one pretty blurry pic with Naik in it). The FGFA experience will be used a lot for sure. We already are pretty good at composite technology, but other capabilities I don't know such as RAM coating, sensors etc (which may be still going on without us knowing). MFDs, mission computers and other such stuff is fine also. The only areas I think Indians are concerned is the AESA radar and propulsion since other elements would be borrowed from FGFA's properties.
F-35 may be advanced but it is a string tier. Before you call me a paranoid, check out US history and also the present where even their only tier-1 partner the UK is not allowed sensitive technology access. That is not acceptable by IAF. If you call it business, it is fine but we are trying to go independent here. If we wanted to get tied to US, we could have simply ordered a couple of 100 F series jets and canceled all local projects.
This problem of supplier offering us rather than customer preferring to buy thinking is what casts shadow on them. This offer didn't come before and only after US saw Netherlands, Australia, Norway and even now Turkey express second thoughts, did they start pressuring Japan and thought of offering us F-35. Kind gesture, but we will pass.
As for Pakistan getting offered F-35, let's see if they can even afford to buy a single squadron. You take ZAB's rhetoric of grass-eating a little too seriously. The people there are already fed up of a lot of internal problems. Most of them are anti-American even in their ministries except for Zardari and party. Buying another US jet would finish off their so-called economy and also tie them more to US.
Besides, the US is not even allowing UK access to sensitive tech... you think they will offer Pakistanis F-35 which will simply give Chinese access to everything they need to know?
Another thing that you are talking about Russians failing:
Russians are needing this more than us, though now with J-20 seen, we also need it equally. Remember their idea was to use this to counter the F-22. You think they would falter on such a huge and serious project? Those guys have 7 decades of experience in jet making and are the
first who actually invented stealth concept. They want to to be able to keep Raptors off.
At that rate, since we are not going to be fighting the raptor off, even if it doesn't 100% match raptor's capabilities, it will be more than enough to ward of regional threats making us strong enough in South Asia.
Again, it is better to have 2nd best tech and be independent than 1st best and be puppet-strung. This is IAF philosophy.
