I think the stage after the technical evaluations-the offsets and commercial offers, matters as much if not more than the price. So the products from EADS and Boeing would be more expensive than the Mig or F-16 or Gripen, but the makers of the latter three products are pretty much totally incapable of matching the big two regarding the scope of their offset proposals and options for transfer of technology.
So in theory, the products from Boeing and EADS would likely be more cost-effective and industrially beneficial to India though their per unit costs would be higher. If we take this logic further, it also diminishes the utility of a split-purchase to a degree. What can Lockheed Martin or SAAB give technology-wise that Boeing or EADS can’t?? You reduce your bargaining power in a sense if u award multiple contracts.
Can it replicate this in Leh and Arunachal/Sikkim, with full loads ? If so, a few squadrons with small airstrips in the mountains may seem a very good idea.