As things stand - even these 33 fighters are not going to enter IAF service anytime soon. Given that the 21 MiG-29s are likely SMTs and can be upgraded with kits by BRD that already has upgraded ~60 of them, they'll hopefully be in service within a year.nachiket wrote:Would help to do some basic research. PAF had been flying F-104's for ten years by the time of the 1971 war. It's no different than India buying some extra Mig-29's or Su-30's during an emergency. Buying additional stocks of existing weapons is a whole lot different than buying an entirely new complex weapon system that you want to be magically operational and combat ready in a few weeks.VikramS wrote: 3. War Time Equipment Transfer: Precedence There is a lot of precedence for this. From the US led Lend-Lease program in WW-II, to the transfer of Jordanian F-104s to PAF 1971, this is nothing new.
On the other hand, look at how little we used the Mig-21's in the 1965 war. They had entered service in 1963, 2 years prior. Contrast that with their extensive use in 1971 when the IAF was fully ready to employ them to their full potential. They made practically no difference in 1965 vs their impact in 1971. I hope everyone here asking for "X" weapon system to be quickly deployed in Ladakh understands this. It is really not that hard.
The 12 Su-30MKIs will be built at HAL Nashik, and I'm hoping that there is no discontinuity in the production line, so that their assembly can start as soon as the last currently contracted HAL built Su-30MKI rolls out.
The Rafale squadron will need some time at least before they are combat ready. Of course, if the balloon does go up, they will be put into combat duty, but they need some time for SOPs, tactics, maintenance procedures, etc. to be set up. The first batch of IAF Rafale pilots will have had fewer than a 100 hours each on the jet, so they'll need more time on the jets to make a full impact.
. Unless 83 Mk1A order moves from imminent to accomplished, of course.