Mirage 2000H, MiG-29UPG, Jaguar DARIN III - Medium Multirole Aircraft of IAF
- Thread starter Ashwin
- Start date
3 years for Uae to get rafalez + some more time to transfer as it gets is squad functional..
Let's say total of 5 years.
However our Mk2.. Is being hidden.
Jigs are ready but only waiting for someone to KICK start the mounting part.
Atleast Mk1A will form a squad by then.
I don't think Mirage 2009 ll give us much value fur us by then... In the middle of roll out of aesa equipped Tejas with all bells & whistle.
In addition to the points you've raised these Mirages are a different variant plus it's not as if UAE is interested in a sale , it"s more of a strategic decision by them to transfer these birds to Morocco & Egypt . Our seeking of such used fighters like Mirage or MiG-29s would've made sense some 2-3 yrs ago for by now we'd be taking deliveries. At this stage unless delivery is instant , it doesn't make much sense .
Also consider that unlike airframes of Qatar which had good hours left, UAE airframes are seeing good usage. They have been used not only in Yemen but almost everywhere there's a conflict in middle East and Arab world.
UAE offered to donate 16 Mirage to Egypt, because UAE was already operating those many numbers from Egypt against Turkish backed militants in Libya. That was a political offering.
And lastly consider the price. The procurement and upgrades will cost more than 50 million USD per aircraft. And that will mean 15 years of service.
That's too steep a cost.
Adding 10-15 Mirages from French or Qatar for immediate replacement of attrition and trainers will not hurt much. But any thing more will be a budgetary problem which can possibly cut into the funds which can be used for LCA and MMRCA 2.
Unfortunately , All of this doesn't take into account a dwindling IAF. The best part is the GoI / MoD / IAF didn't even evince any interest in it . Nor is there any news on the Super Sukhoi upgrade package which is expected to be an in-house affair now though I sincerely hope they go in for an engine upgrade .
No news on further procurement of the Rafales too or of the 21 MiG - 29s + the 12 Su-30MKI , talks on which , it seems will resume only after the current war in Ukraine is over & the heat generated over it subsides which means a couple of years . The MRFA tender is fast becoming a sick joke.
Its a disgrace to even thinking about purchasing a condemned piece from a foreign nation which don't have any serious threat.
The UAE mirage 2000's are pretty much the best variant that exist right now.
If Mirage2k they using are that much advancedd, why UAE is selling it & going for Rafales? Also remembere UAE is not facing any threat as we facing now. A nuclear armed nation with highly skilled military personals, arguably the best military in muslim world is threatening us from western border and a super power with exotic weapons is grabbing our land from East.
Also,There is no room for Mk1a & second hand Mirage, save that money and & go for more Rafale.
Acquisition cost and upgrading cost will be nearly 40-45 mil per plane minimum. With the 86' batch having 10 years Max and the 00' having 15-20 years.
But consider this. UAE will receive their first Rafale at the earliest in 2026. Say the first squadron is up by 2027.
So UAE will not actually be selling the newer airframes before 2027.
And 2027-28 is the time when we intend to start producing our Tejas MK2.
It's already too late for second-hand M2000s, never mind when the jets are actually released, at least 5+ years from now. It was a possibility between 2005 and 2018, now it's pointless. LCA will pave the road ahead for us.
