P Chitkara wrote:Rafale and Typhoon took their own time to mature and till then only a limited number were inducted. What is the rational for greater numbers in MK1?
Who said the greater numbers are for mk1 only. The russkie facility for pakfa is for making BOTH pakfa and Su37. So it is possible with careful planning to create a production facility to make BOTH 4th gen and 5th gen planes with a high degree of commonality and shared infrastructure/equipment. If such planning is followed a facility that makes both Tejas and AMCA with provision of space for different equipments for sub-processes that are different between 4th gen and 5th, is possible.
It takes time to iron out initial wrinkles standardize and ramp up the numbers but ramp up to what final number? mere 12 from 8? or some 25, 30 or 40 planes/ yr type numbers for max output. The greater installed capacity does not mean that MK1s will be produced in big numbers from day1 but by the time we reach MK2 and later AMCA, the capacity will exist with almost everything sorted out except for differences between mk1 and mk2. But surely no one will be able to cry that we can't get them soon enough.
UCAVs are already on the scene and we are fortunate to have a small plane already in our hand. Once the MK2 comes, some of the MK1s could be converted to UCAV variants. That way the risk of older tech and lesser self-protection is shifted to unmanned corps based on ground while manned corps fly the uber planes. Bredator type planes with mere a2g capabilities are only for fighting insurgents. But to take on enemy forces in full fledged war with both a2a and a2g needs ucav'ed variants of an actual fighter.
P Chitkara wrote:the numbers may eventually cross 200 as we have been seeing with MKI, MMRCA (speculation onlee at this point in time). After all, the numbers for jags, m2ks and mig27s as they retire will have to be fulfilled.
Fulfil the gap left by retiring planes, with a 12 planes/ yr stretched out of a prototype making facility? In how many years?
First a bottleneck is forced upon the nation and then everyone cries "look we can't get enough mk2 sooner so let's import or get more of mrca". Who are they fooling?