Posted on 10/07/2015 2:41:09 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
The government has turned down the military's request to expand the acquisition of 36 fighter planes from Dassault Aviation SA to plug vital gaps, officials said, nudging it to accept an indigenous combat plane 32 years in the making.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision, in line with his Make-in-India policy to encourage domestic industry, is a blow for not only the French manufacturer but also others circling over the Indian military aviation market worth billions of dollars.
The push for India's struggling Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) also comes at a time when the air force is at its weakest operational strength since the 1962 war against China, which is causing anxiety within military circles.
Since it took over last year, the Modi administration has repeatedly said its overriding goal is to cut off the military's addiction to foreign arms which has made it the world's top importer.
The air force wanted the government to clear an additional 44 Rafale medium multirole aircraft on top of the 36 that Modi announced during a visit to Paris this year that are to be bought off-the-shelf to meet its urgent requirements.
But a defence ministry official said that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had told the air force that there weren't enough funds to expand the Rafale acquisition and that it must induct an improved version of the indigenous Tejas-Mark 1A.
"The IAF (air force) needs to have a minimum number of aircraft at all times. The LCA is our best option at this stage, given our resource constraints," the defence official said.
"The Rafale is our most expensive acquisition. The LCA is our cheapest in the combat category."
India's air force says it requires 45 fighter squadrons to counter a "two-front collusive threat" from Pakistan and China.
(Excerpt) Read more at in.reuters.com ...
Makes me think of an Avro Arrow
Seems prudent when your neighbors are Pakistan and China.
The answer for foreign manufacturers is to develop an Indian partner. BAE bought a huge share of Mahindra, India’s GE. They build combat vehicles. I tried to get my company, General Dynamics, to develop an Indian partner to modify Soviet built frames up to modern specs. (India has a total of some 12,000 Soviet built frames, mostly in junk yards.) I discovered a complete, tested design to update a T-72 to incorporate most of the M1A1. (GD regularly destroys old data. So they didn’t know they had the design.) The VP in charge kept repeating, “My goal is to sell them Strykers.” My boss told me to give it up.
Selling foreign material in India is problematic. They have one of the most bureaucratic establishments ever developed. Bribes are expected at every level. The culture difference is huge. It’s hard to find the decision maker.
Also, India’s leadership may find they simply don’t have the authority or power to impose their buy-Indian philosophy.
Interesting contrast...when the Wright Brothers were trying to sell their Wright Flier to the French government (because the US government so studiously ignored them, even though their patriotism compelled them to try repeatedly before offering it to a foreign buyer) they had trouble because they simply couldn't get the right people on board, not being French, and being completely ignorant of the methods required, which was bribery of officials.
When a knowledgeable French official (who was an advocate) told him to simply increase the cost he charged for the plane by the amount needed to bribe the right people to move things forward, he was disgusted and offended, and said in no uncertain terms he would rather lose the sale.
I rather suspect attitudes have changed in America since then, but...it is a telling example of what set America apart in the past.
It’s a Delta wing bird.
Delta wing aircraft do NOT do well close to the ground—OR going slow.
India against outsourcing, LOL...
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