Rafale & MMRCA News and Discussions-9 August, 2014

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 08 Mar 2015 09:59

Pagot wrote:just a joke...

And a deeply ignorant one at that. This is what invites the term "mleccha"

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 08 Mar 2015 10:01

Why not lock this idiotic thread? Haven't we had enough discussions on this incredibly tedious and monotonously stale issue for over 6 years? We can have a new thread if the deal does, or does not come through. We have enough threads to display our inflated egos and opinionated selves no?

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 08 Mar 2015 10:04

shiv wrote:
Pagot wrote:just a joke...
And a deeply ignorant one at that. This is what invites the term "mleccha"

they drew the plane totally TFTA. And the indian dark blue. So far so good. Are those red things cheese?

ps -- I see the mistrals are going on sea trials. Thats something. April 10 is too close, unless all behind the scene talking is done. The contract will seek to extract the total loss from russian business out of this one deal.

Viv S · Post by **Viv S** » 08 Mar 2015 11:43

shiv wrote:Why not lock this idiotic thread? Haven't we had enough discussions on this incredibly tedious and monotonously stale issue for over 6 years? We can have a new thread if the deal does, or does not come through. We have enough threads to display our inflated egos and opinionated selves no?

We'll know in the next 30 days one way or the other. If its going to go through it'll be signed when the PM visits France next month. If not, we can consider mothballing this thread until the deal is formally junked.

brar_w · Post by **brar_w** » 08 Mar 2015 11:44

Is there any way to sign the deal next month based on the current budget or would they have to reallocate money from next year's budget after signing the order this year?

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 08 Mar 2015 11:58

I think that there is a separate fund that is set aside for big ticket deals for items that need to be paid for but where negotiations will last for a long time. It's not as if this is a surprise purchase that no one was expecting. Everyone has been expecting a big ticket purchase for at least five years and if under-informed people like most of us know that exchange rates can change so will the people who are doing the deal. This is an arranged marriage, not a one night stand. The dowry will no doubt be sitting in some account somewhere.

Enough of this thread please. Kill it. Anything that has been said has been said a thousand times before.

Jaeger · Post by **Jaeger** » 08 Mar 2015 11:59

+1008 Shiv. This is becoming a circle jerk of epic proportions.

Viv S · Post by **Viv S** » 08 Mar 2015 12:52

brar_w wrote:Is there any way to sign the deal next month based on the current budget or would they have to reallocate money from next year's budget after signing the order this year?

Funding it from the current budget is not feasible. The MoD's proposal will be forwarded for approval to the MoF which can then sanction supplementary funding under a discretionary heading. If it does get the contract Dassault can still probably defer the first payment tranche to the next fiscal as long as the GoI is committed to the purchase in writing.

brar_w · Post by **brar_w** » 09 Mar 2015 02:15

Crossposting from Indian Military Aviation;

Could Su-35S Deal Edge Out Rafale in India?

ABU DHABI — Moscow and New Delhi have agreed to perform design work in India on what Russia claims would be a "fifth generation" version of the Su-35, an agreement that may lead to an Indian variant of the fighter jet, the Russian Military Complex chief said.

The announcement makes India the first country to sign a contract, however preliminary, for the S version of the Su-35.

"We have been negotiating and have signed the intention protocol for the Su-35," Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov said during the IDEX show in Abu Dhabi last month. "Now we are working on designing ideas for this contract and on creating a manufacturing platform for the aircraft of the fifth generation."

Rostec is Russia's state-run corporation that oversees export of high-tech products.

Chemezov said the jet would be developed to meet the Indian Air Force's requirements. He did not say how many of the jets India might plan to buy.

Russia claims the Su-35S would be a fifth generation fighter, as opposed to the legacy fourth generation Su-35. That implies stealth, but it's unclear whether the jet would be on par with an F-35 joint strike fighter.

In India, however, no source in the Defence Ministry could confirm that any deal had been signed with Russia on the Su-35S. An Air Force official did say that the Russians have made one or two Su-35S presentations in the past six months on how it can help replace India's MiG-21 and MiG-27 fighter aircraft, which are due for retirement in seven or eight years.

Russian industry sources said the fighter will be priced at $85 million. That could make it competitive with Dassault Aviation's Rafale, and could have implications for India's proposed purchase of 126 Rafales. New Delhi selected the Rafale as the preferred bidder in a protracted competition in 2012, but has yet to make a final decision on the purchase.

Indian and French defense ministers discussed the Rafale deal during Jean-Yves Le Drian's recent visit to India, an Indian MoD source said. But Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar did not provide a time commitment to Le Drian on when the deal will be signed.

Parrikar told Le Drian that state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) has been asked to complete cost estimates for the Rafales it will build under license.

The French defense minister's spokesman was not available for comment.

A Dassault Aviation spokesman, asked about the Indian agreement for design work on the Su-35S, said the Indian Air Force chief has said a Sukhoi cannot replace a Rafale.

In India, the Economic Times, reported on Feb. 19 that Indian Air Force chief Arup Raha ruled out a purchase of additional Su-30s as the Russian fighter and the Rafale complemented each other rather than the former replacing the latter.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to visit Paris in April, which could be an opportunity for some clarification on the potential Rafale deal, Agence-France Presse has reported.

Russian aircraft makers have been eagerly proclaiming their willingness to step in if India ultimately rejects the French jet. Many believe Russia wants to undercut France as punishment for Paris refusing to deliver two Mistral helicopters carriers to Russia amid deepening tensions with Ukraine.

"If [India] needs additional Su-30MKI fighters, then we are ready to work out such an agreement," Sergei Goreslavsky, deputy director of Russia's arms export agency Rosoboronexport, told the RIA Novosti news agency on Feb. 16. India operates a large fleet of Sukhoi Su-30 fighters, some of which have been locally produced by HAL.

And Russia's RSK MiG says it would offer an upgraded version of its developmental MiG-35 if India reopens the tender.

"We have every chance to compete [for the contract]," MiG chief Sergei Korotkov said at Aero India on Feb. 18, according to the RIA Novosti new agency. "We have not lost hope that a future tender or competition will be announced."

India remains dependent on Russia to supply weaponry and the two countries have been successful in conducting joint development programs involving advanced technologies, including the co-production of the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile.

"Efforts will be made to modernize the Indian defense forces with emphasis on Make-in-India defense programs," an Indian MoD official said. "India remains committed to buy advanced technologies."

India's dependence on Russia for the bulk of its weapons systems, said defense analyst Nitin Mehta.

"India wants to buy advanced systems like the Rafale, even at a higher cost," he said. "[But] dependence on Russians will remain ... and it would be difficult to find the resources to replace these with advanced systems immediately."

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the Su-35S would enter Russian service this year as part of the expansion of the Air Force and Naval Aviation branch.

"Currently, we're testing a new Su-35S multifunctional fighter jet. This year, the new aircraft should enter service. This is the main task for this year," Shoigu said in February.

China is also considering a purchase of Su-35s. A February report by Zvezda, a television network run by the Russian military, said that long-running talks might conclude with a deal to buy 24 fighters on May 19.

Chemezov said that the contract, if signed, would provide China with the fourth-generation Su-35, not India's fifth-generation S model.

"This aircraft is called Su-35-4 plus PAK-FA generation and we are negotiating with China and we are in progress and I hope it will be over soon. I wouldn't like to discuss contracts that have still not been signed," he said. "The important point is that this is a very unique aircraft that has not been delivered to any country."

Another potential customer for the Su-35 is Egypt. Last fall, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi signed an arms deal reportedly worth $3.5 billion. Egyptian media reported that the package included Su-35s.

But Chemezov said no firm purchase deal had been settled.

"We have not signed anything with Egypt; we signed an intention protocol and we are negotiating it. I hope soon we will sign a contract," he said.

Experts have suggested that Egypt, long a customer of US arms makers, would have trouble integrating Russian hardware.

"This would require a significant investment and both sides have been in negotiations for years without results," said Ruslan Aliev, of Moscow's Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.

But Chemezov said the two countries have already agreed on training protocols in case the purchase goes through.

"As a matter of fact, the terms and conditions of the contract that have been signed maintain not only the delivery and other terms but also the training," he said. "First the pilot will be trained in Russia and later in Egypt, as an example when we supplied the helicopters to the Pentagon, which were then delivered to Afghanistan the pilots took their training to Russia."

Cosmo_R · Post by **Cosmo_R** » 09 Mar 2015 02:59

Paper PAK/FA redux @ $85MM vs. a JSF @$75MM. Then RSk MiG never known for quality, throws its hat in the ring. They must think we are fools though I admit we've given them enough clues to assume that.

MiG 21s, 27s Jaguars and even M2K all can and should be replaced by the LCA. Sorry Russophiles, we just don't have money to spare to save Mother Russia.

The most important thing Modi/Parrikar can and must do is to formulate a strategy rather than focusing on purchases.

brar_w · Post by **brar_w** » 09 Mar 2015 03:19

This story looks sketchy to me. May just be Russian wishful thinking. Even if it has some extra capability, the Su35s from an acquisition point of view is still much inferior to the Su-30MKI given how extensively it has been integrated into the domestic production and into the air-force. If the PAKFA is coming then more MKI's are the best best if the Russian route is the chosen path. A hypothetical Su-35 version that Russia itself does not operate, makes very little sense.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 09 Mar 2015 05:09

IB4TL

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 09 Mar 2015 05:26

The IAF needs planes, that we all can agree on.

The question is which is the best fit from all angles: political, finance, "ToT"!!, etc.

Another 80 Russian planes should not hurt any thinking, IMVVHO.

It is what transpired after that decision that matters. This prolonged process has to stop. ?????

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 09 Mar 2015 06:22

NRao wrote:The IAF needs planes, that we all can agree on.

The question is which is the best fit from all angles: political, finance, "ToT"!!, etc.

Another 80 Russian planes should not hurt any thinking, IMVVHO.

It is what transpired after that decision that matters. This prolonged process has to stop. ?????

NRao we have no information about the prolonged process except that the papers exceed 17,000 pages. We can't change that but we can put an end to this nonsensical and pointless circular discussion on the forum

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 09 Mar 2015 06:45

For a Data Point guy 17,000 pages is hog heaven.

I think there is plenty to mine from all these pages (and more across the net). There are so many small dramas all across ......................

I am trying to squeeze 48 hours out of a day (more than willing to accept help). Such days are rare.

I just love it.

__________________________________________

BTW, a Data Point:

A pattern mining software dev by someone at Berkley found that 12% of code in Linux and about 18% in Windows is buggy ......................... because of: guess what cut-n-paste.

So, I was wondering how much errors are made during "ToT".

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 09 Mar 2015 08:43

I think JF 17 would be a realistic option for MMRCA

1. It is Chinese and we must respect the Chinese
2. Pakis are smart
3. It is cheap
4. Deliveries will be on time
5. We can have a JF-17 MKI with Indian avionics
6. We can develop a Brahmos-JF for the JF 17

I think we need an MMRCA bositiveneuj thread. Enough of this 6 year long "serious discussion" We are now so far ahead of the curve we have lost track of our own asses.

Sid · Post by **Sid** » 09 Mar 2015 09:27

^^^ helllooo.... Thats idea plagiarism doctor saab. Checkout last page.

But happy that such brillient idea is geting some traction

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 09 Mar 2015 09:40

Sid wrote:^^^ helllooo.... Thats idea plagiarism doctor saab. Checkout last page.

But happy that such brillient idea is geting some traction

Must be telepathy or I am your telepatni.

Indranil · Post by **Indranil** » 09 Mar 2015 09:49

Hakim, we will need a thread for news regarding MMRCA. How will we stop that thread from spiraling into this same mess?

kit · Post by **kit** » 09 Mar 2015 09:50

The Russians is trying their old trick ..Su 35 s for India and Su 35 for China ..as usual ..lol ... I want my mark 2 LCA and the AMC !!

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 09 Mar 2015 11:34

The only advantage that I can see is that it has a single pilot. Looking at helo tech,an interesting fact,that the KA-50 attack helo was conceived as a single pilot helo,given advances in avionics,smart cockpits,etc. later additional responsibilites saw it and the KA-52 morph into twin-pilot versions,first revealed outside at the first BLR air show. Since we are already on the road to develop "Super-Sukhois" with more advanced tech,some 5th-gen inputs,BMos,etc.,do we need an SU-35 at that additional cost? No. One would prefer dedicated SU-34 bombers instead. Of course manufacturers offer their new/upgraded wares with regularity,but I think that the report about SU-35s was "kiteflying".

Secondly,that heavy hitter isn't the correct replacement for MIg-21s/27s either.That role should go to the LCA.,small and light,best suited to piint defence and close support.Prof. Das in Vayu has also suggested an LCA with a style MIG-27 nose for that purpose. The Jags are also to be upgraded giving them another 10-15 years of life for the strike role.This should be accelerated,building upon the earlier Darin success. With PGMs,smart bombs,etc.,these aircraft are the best cost-effective aircraft to deliver ordnance on the battlefield. No point risking an $85M bird when a $25M one can do the same.

kit · Post by **kit** » 09 Mar 2015 12:38

Can we have a super LCA in place of the Rafales

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 09 Mar 2015 13:27

The IAF will take gliders. When the alternatives is the 3 legged cheeta.

JTull · Post by **JTull** » 09 Mar 2015 16:11

Time to lock this thread?

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 09 Mar 2015 16:44

indranilroy wrote:Hakim, we will need a thread for news regarding MMRCA. How will we stop that thread from spiraling into this same mess?

I think news can go in the aviation thread. Right now there is only lifafa paid news and opinions. This thread can always be reopened if something other than the current rotten cat-fight "news" comes up.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 09 Mar 2015 16:51

Miao!

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 09 Mar 2015 17:11

This should kill the thread effectively.

India turns to FGFA as Rafale deal falters

Bengaluru, Mar 9, 2015,

India is now exploring as an alternative the stealth fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) from Russia as negotiations on Rafale fighter jet deal have run into rough weather recently, leading to delay in finalisation of the contract for supply of 126 fighter planes.

India is now exploring as an alternative the stealth fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) from Russia as negotiations on Rafale fighter jet deal have run into rough weather recently, leading to delay in finalisation of the contract for supply of 126 fighter planes.

The main issue concerns the pricing, which is basically the production cost in India, and Dassault's reluctance to stand guarantee for the 108 fighters to be built by state-run HAL. Rafale was selected for the deal in 2012 but the final contract is yet to be signed.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian held talks in Febraury with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar to salvage the multi-billion Rafale contract even as a deadlock continues to hold up the deal.

The IAF which currently operates 34 fighter squadrons as opposed to the required 44 squadrons is in urgent need of new aircrafts to replace it's aging fleet of Mig-21 and Mig-27.

A source quoted in Times of India said, "We have agreed to a lesser work-share for a realistic contract, with the initial lot of the FGFA being imported and the rest being made here under technology transfer."

The FGFA is the biggest ever bilateral Indo-Russian defence cooperation project. The preliminary design agreement on FGFA was signed in 2010 between HAL and Russian Sukhoi Design Bureau to build the jet for use by both countries with India investing 50 per cent of the cost of the multi-billion dollar programme.

The aircraft is based on the Russian Air Force's Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA platform and the Indian version is expected to carry more advanced features. The project is seen as giving a boost to India's indigenous capabilities to develop advanced fighter aircraft.

Demonstration flights of the FGFA were watched by ex Secretary Defence Production R K Singh and ex IAF Chief, Air Chief Marshal P V Naik back in 2011.

The fifth generation fighter is expected to be delivered from 2017 onwards with the IAF expected to induct over 300 aircraft in the next two decades.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 09 Mar 2015 17:47

FGFA at what cost though? Though I am an advocate of acquiring the FGFA to maintain our tech/qualitative superiority over the PAF/PLAAF,it is not a replacement for the MIG-21s and MIG-27s as the report indicates. This would mean no more MKIs,saving the money for FGFAs,but we need $5B at least for a cost-effective solution for replacing the MIG-21s,etc. The stated method of acquiring FGFAs,buying std. prod series same as being produced for Russia off the shelf perhaps with a few desi inputs,seems sensible.If they can be acquired before 2020,great.They would be better than the Rafale and MKis,a qualitative leap in tech.

Does this however mean - reading between lines that the GOI/MOD is looking at the LCA MK-1/2 for the MIG replacements?.Commonsense would indicate so,but it means that there must be a massive shove up the combined LCA team's nether end of the pointed stick!LCA fans will be overjoyed.

Or is this simply more kiteflying to persuade the French to
"lower their price and raise their skirts"?
Speculate and enjoy yourselves!

arthuro · Post by **arthuro** » 09 Mar 2015 19:38

Forget the FGFA, defense news report the SU35S is a likely replacement for MMRCA...

According to livefist and Dassault's CEO, negotiation on workshare is completed. Now they negotiate liabilities.

One has to wonder why they are still in negotiation when the deal is dead. It Is written in the newspaper so it must ne True...

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 09 Mar 2015 20:19

arthuro wrote: One has to wonder why they are still in negotiation when the deal is dead. It Is written in the newspaper so it must ne True...

Dassaut's CEO is now representing China for sale of JF 17 to India with M88 engines.

Cosmo_R · Post by **Cosmo_R** » 09 Mar 2015 22:05

shiv wrote:I think JF 17 would be a realistic option for MMRCA

1. It is Chinese and we must respect the Chinese
2. Pakis are smart
3. It is cheap
4. Deliveries will be on time
5. We can have a JF-17 MKI with Indian avionics
6. We can develop a Brahmos-JF for the JF 17

I think we need an MMRCA bositiveneuj thread. Enough of this 6 year long "serious discussion" We are now so far ahead of the curve we have lost track of our own asses.

You forgot the strap-on 'flat rated' Kaveri that could be used to further 'make in India'

arthuro · Post by **arthuro** » 09 Mar 2015 22:09

Editorial: Rafale a Better Option for India
Now that Paris has shelved plans to deliver two helicopter assault ships to Russia, Moscow is working overtime to convince India to dump plans to buy French fighters and instead buy a new Sukhoi jet.
In 2012, New Delhi tapped Dassault's Rafale as its next fighter, with plans to acquire 126 of the twin-engine jets for $12 billion. At the time, Indian officials said the French jet would help them reduce their reliance on Russian equipment (India also flies French Mirage 2000 jets as part of a longstanding policy to avoid exclusive dependence on Moscow for military hardware). By choosing Rafale, India also gains access to cutting-edge technology to advance its aerospace and defense industries. But talks have stalled over price and who would bear responsibility for Rafales license-produced in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

Russia is irked that its once-close ally has invested tens of billions of dollars on American transports, helicopters and maritime patrol planes and now is about to buy French jets.
At the recent IDEX trade show in Abu Dhabi, Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov announced that Russia and India had inked a deal to co-develop a new version of Sukhoi's Su-35. Indian officials, however, say Russia has pitched the jet, but have not yet agreed to move forward on the project.

The Su-35 is a formidable aircraft and an improvement over India's Su-30s, but the Rafale is superior as a system, with greater mission capability and reliability. And its technology is more likely to serve as a foundation for a more competitive Indian defense and aerospace industry.
The entire rationale behind the Rafale deal wasn't to get the least expensive fighter to meet India's needs, but the aircraft that would best satisfy the nation's long-range military needs as well as its industrial interests.

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defens ... /24642003/

Cosmo_R · Post by **Cosmo_R** » 09 Mar 2015 22:12

^^^ Except no one in MoD can confirm such a 'memorandum of intent'.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 10 Mar 2015 00:28

Where is Mr. Morkov when we really need him!!!

ShauryaT · Post by **ShauryaT** » 10 Mar 2015 06:23

Shiv ji wants to terminate the thread, Karnad wants to terminate the deal!!

Terminate the Rafale Deal

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha has repeatedly and publicly declared “there’s no Plan B”, that in effect it is Rafale or nothing with respect to the Indian Air Force’s dubious Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) requirement. It merits his dismissal from service, because these words denote gross incompetence, failure to anticipate the unexpected and prepare for it—axiomatic in all military planning and, hence, of leadership. For every plan there is always an alternative plan of action in case things don’t work out as envisaged.

The absence of a fallback scheme is, of course, a ruse by Raha to pressurise the government into acceding to IAF’s wishes for the Rafale, despite defence minister Manohar Parrikar spelling out an alternative—the cost-effective, Nasik-produced Su-30MKI, which won’t require multi-billion dollar investment in another production facility and beats the French combat aircraft by any performance standard......

Every demerit attends on the Rafale aircraft deal, including its outrageous cost and negligible effects in growing a self-sufficient Indian defence industry. It should be terminated also because of the country’s meagre resources—the capital defence budget of Rs`94,588 crore for 2015-16 remains unchanged from last year, and careful inter se choices will have to be made from among myriad military procurement programmes. In the competition for the defence rupee, the Rafale is eminently expendable. It is time Parrikar told IAF, using the words of former US defence secretary Robert Gates, that “there’s no endless money”. If a Rafale deal is still signed to crown Narendra Modi’s April 10 visit to France, the government will have much to answer for.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 10 Mar 2015 10:20

With apologies to Shiv,only the true Terminator, Arnie Schwarzennegger can terminate the Rafale deal one way or the other.Time for the GOI to bring him aboard to say "hasta la vista,baby!"

member_28928 · Post by **member_28928** » 10 Mar 2015 11:56

Any updates with reference to the TOI article:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 497247.cms

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 10 Mar 2015 13:03

For whatever its worth!....ahem,$25B greenbacks,or should we now start counting in rupee-roubles?

http://rt.com/news/238953-india-russia-fgfa-contract/

India ready to spend $25bn on Russian 5G fighter jets
Published time: March 09, 2015 15:51
T-50 fifth-generation multirole fighter (RIA Novosti/Alexander Vilf)

The stalemate over the 4th-gen Rafale fighter jets deal with France has forced the Indian military to accelerate an even larger project with Russia on the joint development and purchase of an equal quantity of 5th-gen fighters.

India is now ready to invest $25 billion in the development and purchase of 127 fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft (FGFA). It will also make concessions to speed up the delivery of fighters and have the first ones available in 36 months instead of the previously envisaged 94 months, sources told The Times of India.

READ MORE: ‘Effectively dead’: Media speculate on India’s purchase of $20bn French Rafale jets

The initial contract signed with Moscow implied a 50:50 design and production agreement to develop an Indian version of Russia’s Sukhoi T-50 (PAK-FA) 5G fighter jet. The $295-million preliminary design contract signed in December 2010 envisaged the creation of a two-seat version of the PAK-FA and preconditioned that all single-pilot fighters must be assembled in India at the Ozar facility owned by India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) aerospace and defense company. Now that the estimated number of Indian Air Force combat-ready squadrons has decreased sharply, New Delhi isn’t objecting to Moscow producing the first batch of perspective multi-role fighter FGFA at Russia’s KNAAPO facility in Komsomolsk-na-Amure. KNAAPO has been producing the initial batch of PAK-FA fighter jets since the beginning of 2013.

“We have agreed to a lesser work-share for a realistic contract, with the initial lot of the FGFA being imported and the rest being made here under technology transfer,” a source at HAL told the Times of India.

And it appears that future Russian-made fifth-generation fighter aircraft for India will cost little more than European 4G jets, as the final negotiations with Dassault for purchase of 126 Rafale medium multi-role combat aircrafts indicated the price will exceed $20 billion.

The FGFA contract however will not replace the outgoing Rafale tender, as India is likely to replace it by buying a corresponding quantity of the Russian Sukhoi-30MKI fighters already being produced in India.

Read more
India may reconsider $20 billion French Rafale jet deal in favor of Russia

“As for the Russian Sukhoi-30MKI fighters (the majority of the 272 Sukhois contracted for $12 billion are being made by HAL), the curve in technology absorption will also be steep in the FGFA project,” the HAL source added.

India’s Ministry of Defense is currently working hard on resolving the situation with Dassault before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France in early April.

PS:Have the French shot themselves in the foot by accident over the non-delivery of the Mistral's to Russia? This act by the French,faling to honour a commitment/contract,plus the delays and cost-overruns in the Scorpene project may be a factor thhat is being seriously considered by the GOI. If the final decision is to dump the Rafale,then with one act,denying Russia the Mistrals,the French would've shot themselves in the other fiot too,losing out on the Rafale. Sacre bleu!

arthuro · Post by **arthuro** » 10 Mar 2015 14:56

And what about russia selling SU35 and S400 to China ? Those reports are paid/influenced by russia but for now they have been proven wrong since MRCA negotiation are still vert Much on.

member_20453 · Post by **member_20453** » 10 Mar 2015 17:21

^^^^

Just like most of the French articles on the MRCA are also paid. Facts are, come end of this month, either the Rafale is dumped or bought, it all comes down to how Dassault works it out the next few weeks.