Bharat Rakshak

GeorgeWelch

the MRCA would have gone the Shornet way had the IAF not scuttled the plan with a very professional, and thorough technical evaluation. It should be pointed out that both Boeing and Lockheed has plenty of grounds to protest, but decided not to in order to not ruffle feathers with other deals in the...

GeorgeWelch

NRao wrote:May 7, 2015 :: India Outlines New Carrier Ambitions

Depending on the cost, India could consider acquiring F-18s or the F-35B for IAC-2

Why would they get F-35B? With EMALS might as well go F-35C.

GeorgeWelch

France sells 24 Rafale to Qatar for $7 billion US to sell 28 SH to Kuwait for $3+ billion This is probably the closest we can come to an equal comparison of costs. Even taking the $3+ as $3.5, the SH is less than half the price of the Rafale. The Rafale may be better in some aspects, but is it twic...

GeorgeWelch

brar_w wrote:How is the "offset" unique to the Make in India? Has it not been the policy to have offsets for large weapon deals like the rest of the world?

Depending on the deal, offsets can be any money that is spent in India.

For instance travel expenses have been included in offsets.

GeorgeWelch

What are you transporting that is >>60t and needs to go in one flight. It's not just weight, it's fit. If something is too wide or too tall to fit in the cargo bay, it doesn't matter how much or how little it weighs. And congestion is a reason for continued "strategic" acquisitions? How m...

GeorgeWelch

4/27 2 C-17 carrying comm equipment & Water, 1 C-130J and 1 IL-76 (NDRF teams) return to Palam due to 'congestion' at Kathmandu. Yes, there was 1 flight of 58t, but that could also have been two flights instead or this whole load 238.5 put on fewer chartered cargo planes. Plenty of time after d...

GeorgeWelch

While he has a point about higher costs, cost was not the only reason why Rafale won MMRCA competition. From wiki: Those are speculations. The only official reason is that the lifecycle cost came in as less than than EF. Any other reason would have been grounds for a protest. IAF is guaranteed to g...

GeorgeWelch

http://aviationweek.com/defense/podcast-india-s-medium-multi-role-combat-aircraft-surprise India hit the reset button on stalled contract talks with Dassault, opting for a government-to-government sale of 36 Rafale fighters. Our editors discuss what the deal means for India, Dassault and future comb...

GeorgeWelch

Cybaru wrote:Old pipeline that was committed for and even then the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Greece are hoping someone will buy their commitment for stuff they said yes to.

So China and Pakistan are just buying the last few fighters they are committed to and then they'll stop, that's your position?

GeorgeWelch

Cybaru wrote:This is absolute crap. The world is moving to drones. No one is buying new fighters.

Well, except for China, Pakistan, the US, the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Australia, Canada, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, Egypt, the UAE and Israel, you may have a point.

GeorgeWelch

The hornet is not going to make it. Two reasons why - one - it failed critical hot and high tests, There were minor issues that were easily addressed, it was a non-issue. 2 - it doesn't bring much to the table compared to other contenders. When it's the one that's more affordable and available in t...

GeorgeWelch

Singha wrote:the SH was the weakest of the lot at high alt ops iirc. it will be hard for it to overcome that tag.

I never saw a credible source for that information.

GeorgeWelch

Q. So India will buy more Rafales after re-assessing requirements? Where does the LCA fit in the picture? A. I feel that some more Rafale jets may be required but need to figure out how we can acquire them. But more importantly, we need large number of aircraft to replace MiG variants over the next...

GeorgeWelch

Vivek K wrote:Why not add 30 F16, 30 Gripen, 30 F18 and 30 Mig 35?

Because they're getting the F-35 instead

GeorgeWelch

Q: But if you keep buying Russian hardware, you risk being manipulated by them? A: The reality is this – Russia post-Crimea is getting into deep financial waters and India holds the whip hand in its reins with Moscow, which is not the case with our reins with France. Who has more control over Russi...

GeorgeWelch

There is nothing that the Rafale brings to the table that a SU-30MKI does not in substantial terms. Let's not be silly, the Rafale provides a lot. I never could understand the "medium" business and still don't , on how it fits, where it fits and what is the need for that at all! The MKI i...

GeorgeWelch

What is unspoken is that if the French do not come back with an acceptable price, then GOI is free to look at other options for a Government to Government purchase for another aircraft. And Modi is now in Germany probably quietly lining up the Typhoon as a back up just in case...... And because all...

GeorgeWelch

2) Some additional sops for making the french bend on the terms of contract ( Ownership for HAL delays as an example ) 3) Getting a better price with a larger order This actually reduces your leverage and makes it harder to get concessions/lower prices on future contracts. If you were going to scra...

GeorgeWelch

If true, it's a good decision. I always said that the MRCA deal was too big with too many moving parts that would basically guarantee nothing ever happened. If you need a gap-filler, just purchase it outright. If you need ToT on something, negotiate with the best in the market separately without bei...

GeorgeWelch

Austin wrote:Dassault: Work on India Rafale Sale 95% Done

Rafale was selected 1155 days ago. If the negotiating is 95% done now, then it will be finished in 60 days.

GeorgeWelch

1. I never said we don't need long strike missions. You may not have. Many others here have. I would not like to be in a Rafale loaded with fuel and with 3 huge drop tanks while the ground radar paints me and readies the S2A missiles. I would not want to be in either one. In that regards, they're b...

GeorgeWelch

There's no paucity of enemy fighters in our neighborhood particularly on the Chinese front. Every time the Rafale flies with those humongous tanks, its RCS is magnified and the aircraft rendered more vulnerable to enemy Flankers and/or AWACS. May as well employ the Su-30 at half price. I thought th...

GeorgeWelch

When you sling 3 large drop tanks, the Rafale does not remain a fighter. It becomes a bomb truck with which you can fly over friendly airspace and drop bombs on far away country with small or non-existent air defense. Or until you drop the drop tanks, then it becomes a fighter again. Yes, but dropp...

GeorgeWelch

NRao wrote:Looks like this GoI has caved in to some preshure.

Dassault 1 - GoI 0

Dassault is agreeing to guarantee the HAL-built jets.

I'm not sure how you interpret that as a win for Dassault.

GeorgeWelch

The attitude of the IAF baffles me: on the one hand they don't want Russian stuff yet we seem to be going full tilt on the SU-50 PAK/FA/FGFA. I think the point is they don't want any MORE Russian stuff. They already have MKI and they will have FGFA, that's a tremendous part of the combat fleet alre...

GeorgeWelch

Livefist ‏@livefist 1h1 hour ago MoD sources: French Defence Minister delegation informed that a decision on Rafale will be taken by end of March at the latest. #MMRCA 1/3 Sources: French Defence Minister was assured that due process was being followed, negotiations committee report would be final w...

GeorgeWelch

Gyan wrote:It seems cost of each Rafale will be equal to 4 Su-30MKIs

No.

GeorgeWelch

The Indian aerospace industry will not be able to absorb the TOT in large measure immediately. Whereas the MKI is already 70%+ indigenous Why would Rafale be harder to absorb than MKI? Also, should you choose the one that offers better technology, perhaps down the road, or the the one that offers n...

GeorgeWelch

NRao wrote:Nope.

Dassault said it too.

And, GoI said it too.

That there were problems.

Ok, I didn't phrase that correctly. Clearly there were (and may still be) problems, but I was thinking more of the whole 'Deal is Dead' histrionics.

GeorgeWelch

At 1:32:31, he talks of Su-30 costing $12000 per flying hour. That is quite low, and in fact, lower than the cost of Rafale (Google search gives me $16500 per hour). Not sure what to make of it. Pay in the IAF is less than the French air force. It's part of the reason making comparisons across diff...

GeorgeWelch

India is saying there are no problems, Dassault is saying there are no problems.

The only people saying there are problems are some media who read WAY too much into events. (Oh noes! The PM denied he was going to fly in it during the airshow! The Rafale is DOOOOMED!)

GeorgeWelch

Philip wrote:The "insane" statements by Dassault cretins isn't winning friends,especially those at HAL.

Richard Aboulafia isn't Dassault.

GeorgeWelch

Which I think is just fine. Use the Rafale for 15-20 years and toss them out. (the logic being IF India cannot produce a plane that is better than a Rafale (or Dassault) in 15/20 years then India better get out of the plan design/manu business). Even if you can build a better plane, that doesn't me...

GeorgeWelch

It is not self evident since we're not discussing the same company performing different tasks. Its an odd choice of word ('difficult') but sticking with it BHEL might find it more 'difficult' to manufacture a gun than HAL would find manufacturing an aircraft. Unless you know the core competencies o...

GeorgeWelch

You've made a claim about manufacturing aircraft at HAL (not BHEL) being more 'difficult' than manufacturing a gun at BHEL (not HAL), and then left unsupported. I claimed that manufacturing an aircraft is more difficult than manufacturing a gun, which is self-evident. You're the one making the stat...

GeorgeWelch

Is building planes not much more difficult than building guns? How could you not say it's more risky? Its a pure business investment. 'Difficulty' has nothing to with it. You're not expecting the gun building company to invest in aircraft production. Difficulty has everything to do with it. More di...

GeorgeWelch

Then why didn't they place a higher bid in the other competition to compensate? They may judged it a losing proposition i.e. attempting to match OTO Melara's expected lower bid. How would they know what the other company would bid? And even if the other bid was lower, there's always the possibility...

GeorgeWelch

Shreeman wrote:What jet did BAE bring to MRCA? edit -- I see, the gun. Not the MRCA.

BAE owns a third of EF

GeorgeWelch

BAE's problem was not with the 'reasonableness' of the contract (or lack thereof) but the risk-reward ratio. Its very much possible that it judged it acceptable for one contract and unacceptable for another. Or that it placed a higher bid for the contract to compensate. Then why didn't they place a...

GeorgeWelch

Dassault's position is that such liability clauses are absurd and no company would ever accept such terms. Dassault's position is that such terms are not in the RFP. BAE Systems opposed this arrangement, and in an official statement declared its unwillingness to accept the "disproportionate le...

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