Vips wrote:If India decides to opt for Gripen E then it will have to get Iron-Clad guarantees from Sweden that it's dependency on US for various spare parts and the engine will not threaten or jeopardise the continual production or flight availability status in India. We will do well to remember the Sea King helicopters saga post 1998 dhamaka.
Vips, you are talking as if Gripen E is already chosen
Jokes aside, I would suggest that you do not go down the path of getting Iron-Clad guarantees. I will explain.
Among the pro F-Solah crowd on BRF, you have the classic
bait-and-switch strategy. Dangle the bait and see if folks bite. If they bite, then hold on to that bait for dear life and keep feeding the propoganda to keep that bait alive. If they do not, then switch to another and repeat. And the cycle continues. So what is this bait? There are many. I list some that come to mind.
- Global Supplier Chain.
- Strategic Alignment with America.
- 4,500 F-16s world wide being used by 28 countries.
- Export to other countries from an Indian line.
- Improve India's unemployment.
They pull this stunt because they know (just like some of their counterparts in the Indian media), a large percentage of the Indian populace is unaware of defence matters and they will be willing to swallow the above as if it is a glass of
Rooh Afza on a hot summer day in Dilli. I am sure you know what that is, so I am not going to explain. But I have provided a link, just in case.
Which brings me to your post. I am going to make it simple
- If Gripen E is chosen and America gets pissed off because of it, will they drop sanctions on India? May be. So go ahead and do it. When that occurs, India will realize all this talk of strategic partnership was just hot air.
- If F-16 Block 70 is chosen and tomorrow we make a move that is inimical to America's interests, will they drop sanctions on India? May be. So go ahead and do it then.
Look at the above two scenarios and we are in the same boat in both. So this scare mongering tactic that the Gripen is sanctionable is equally true with the F-16 as well. So why even go down that path? We are screwed either way. Some other scare mongering tactics parroted on BRF are ending joint military exercises, shutting down joint working committees, claiming that India will be on her own in the IOR (which is a load of complete & utter tripe, but an entirely different topic from this thread), etc.
Why ask for guarentees when you are going to get none?
The only way to untie from this mess, is to end this tamasha and soldier on with the Tejas. But if the IAF is insisting on importing (and based on the two current choices)....the best scenario (the best of the worst IMO) is Saab's offer. The worst option is the F-Solah.
P.S. I am not sure how long you have been on BRF, but if you have been here long enough you will remember this is same load of bullshit they claimed in the first MMRCA downselect. And the opposite happened. India-US relations have only been on the upswing. The relationship between the two countries is far deeper than some dumbass plane deal.