Mirage 2000H, MiG-29UPG, Jaguar DARIN III - Medium Multirole Aircraft of IAF

[STEPHEN COHEN]

If you get the AESA on these aircrafts j-10 will be viable targets. You need Astra mk1 and 2 integration expedited.
Mig 29 and mirage needs to become irritants and if the scalp can be integrated you have a very potent strike platform that can be used to take down most structures China and Pak.

One Mirage 2000 pilot was also awarded the VIR Chakra for precision strikes

So it comes down to Tactical Acumen and Overall Mission Planning

https://twitter.com/x/status/2063987823183790139

Now that PAF is strengthening its Air Defences ,
The Sequence that will have to be followed by MIG 29 and Mirage 2000 for playing a Meaningful role , will be as follows

1) SEAD / DEAD by Drones and Missiles , infact Saturation attacks on Enemy Airbases

2) S 400 driving away aggressors and AWACS providing a clear picture

3 ) MIG 29 and Mirage 2000 using Stand off Air to Ground
weapons and AAMs to Eliminate targets

 

[PhotonVish]

If you get the AESA on these aircrafts j-10 will be viable targets. You need Astra mk1 and 2 integration expedited.
Mig 29 and mirage needs to become irritants and if the scalp can be integrated you have a very potent strike platform that can be used to take down most structures China and Pak.

Airframe life is too low to justify avionics upgrade.

Keep the avionics and just add air to ground like Rampage, TARA, Rudram1/2 and they wont cost alot but can make them very usable in conflict.

 

[Speedster1]

If you get the AESA on these aircrafts j-10 will be viable targets. You need Astra mk1 and 2 integration expedited.
Mig 29 and mirage needs to become irritants and if the scalp can be integrated you have a very potent strike platform that can be used to take down most structures China and Pak.

French M2000D can carry 1 Scalp on the fuselage centerline. So it certainly can be done. The French may be willing to integrate Meteor with an Indian aesa radar and there could be no better platform than their own M2000.

Besides, we known that the IN is unhappy with the Zhuk-me on the Fulcrum K, so the IAF could eventually opt for any Uttam variant chosen by the IN for UPG birds as well.

 

[randomradio]

Need to buy those 21 and upgrade it with either uttam aesa or data Patterns AESA and up engine them with rd-33 mk

I disagree. We should have gone for those mothballed Mig-29 airframes, if they were in good condition and upgraded them with full-on Indian avionics. For IAF, every airframe matters looking at their low squadron numbers.

It's unclear why the IAF is not interested in them anymore.

It costs 5000 Cr to get them up to speed, but using that money on the 3 remaining squadrons of UPGs is a better idea, if that is the choice right now.

The cost apart, our options for 2nd hand M2000s are dwindling quickly. Qatar is selling off its jets to Indonesia, Greece to Ukraine (likely) and UAE jets are not on the market anymore. Besides, they've been used heavily in ops against Iran so airframe useful life might not be much.

French AF birds will likely also end up in Ukraine as they are retired. Either now or after the war.

The IAF is essentially in the same position as the 1990s where they were forced to buy grey market spares for MiG-21s after the fall of SU. Though HAL makes some M2000 spares locally, the situation will only get worse over time.

Too late for second-hand M2000s. Taiwan and UAE will release their jets only in the 2030s. Qatar's small fleet is available, but I think Turkey and Pak will prevent the sale. French jets are only good for cannibalization.

 

[Lolwa]

Airframe life is too low to justify avionics upgrade.

Keep the avionics and just add air to ground like Rampage, TARA, Rudram1/2 and they wont cost alot but can make them very usable in conflict.

Considering the inventory we have I wouldn't mind us get license production of both the mig 35 and mig 29k to bolster up numbers

 

[Lolwa]

It's unclear why the IAF is not interested in them anymore.

It costs 5000 Cr to get them up to speed, but using that money on the 3 remaining squadrons of UPGs is a better idea, if that is the choice right now.



Too late for second-hand M2000s. Taiwan and UAE will release their jets only in the 2030s. Qatar's small fleet is available, but I think Turkey and Pak will prevent the sale. French jets are only good for cannibalization.

We have Greece, France and Qatar. Will give us enough aircrafts to have 2-4 extra squadrons. We need to do our own Project ROSE

It's unclear why the IAF is not interested in them anymore

They were rumoured to part of the faulty Egyptian/Algerian Air force order for mig 29M's. The airframes were defective or something. So were rejected apparently. There was some sort of faulty engineering

It's unclear why the IAF is not interested in them anymore

They were rumoured to part of the faulty Egyptian/Algerian Air force order for mig 29M's. The airframes were defective or something. So were rejected apparently. There was some sort of faulty engineering

 

[PhotonVish]

Considering the inventory we have I wouldn't mind us get license production of both the mig 35 and mig 29k to bolster up numbers

Why you want their license production ?

Overhead cost is too much, if we really wanna buy soviat designed fighters then its better to buy more mki or mki upg

 

[randomradio]

We have Greece, France and Qatar. Will give us enough aircrafts to have 2-4 extra squadrons. We need to do our own Project ROSE

French and Greek 05s will likely end up in Ukraine. As I said, Qatar's jets won't come to India.

They were rumoured to part of the faulty Egyptian/Algerian Air force order for mig 29M's. The airframes were defective or something. So were rejected apparently. There was some sort of faulty engineering

They were rumoured to part of the faulty Egyptian/Algerian Air force order for mig 29M's. The airframes were defective or something. So were rejected apparently. There was some sort of faulty engineering

The ones we were looking to buy was the 9.12 models from the 80s, in storage for 40 years. Egypt's Mig-29s were brand new Ms.

 

[Lolwa]

Why you want their license production ?

Overhead cost is too much, if we really wanna buy soviat designed fighters then its better to buy more mki or mki upg

What overhead costs? We already have engine license production for the series 3 and mk. Might as well buy and produce them a single unit of mig 35 cost anywhere from 35-50 million. It costed us 2.9 billions to buy 45 mig 29k's. We paid 7-8 billion for 36 rafales. The economics are infront of you. Russians equipment wil always be cheaper than American engines. And you can modify them to carry indian weaponry pretty easily. We need planes that can carry naam mr, brahmos ng. Tejas MK2 and AMCA will only join service by 2035. There's not even a prototype out out and we are in mid 2026. The prototype of MK2 was to be present by now. Get the mig 29 the engine is already beign produced by HAL. You can then use the same engine to produce tedbf and AMCA considering the first GE 414 will only be out by 2028.
Let's stop waiting for American engines to solve a problem that Russian engines already can.
We have nothing to replace are mig 23's. Mig 29k can be expanded into Andaman, Vizag and Goa and can assist in power projection. The rafales will take 2030 to come.
Will also help in expanding our aerospace industry.

 

[PhotonVish]

What overhead costs? We already have engine license production for the series 3 and mk. Might as well buy and produce them a single unit of mig 35 cost anywhere from 35-50 million. It costed us 2.9 billions to buy 45 mig 29k's. We paid 7-8 billion for 36 rafales. The economics are infront of you. Russians equipment wil always be cheaper than American engines. And you can modify them to carry indian weaponry pretty easily. We need planes that can carry naam mr, brahmos ng. Tejas MK2 and AMCA will only join service by 2035. There's not even a prototype out out and we are in mid 2026. The prototype of MK2 was to be present by now. Get the mig 29 the engine is already beign produced by HAL. You can then use the same engine to produce tedbf and AMCA considering the first GE 414 will only be out by 2028.
Let's stop waiting for American engines to solve a problem that Russian engines already can.
We have nothing to replace are mig 23's. Mig 29k can be expanded into Andaman, Vizag and Goa and can assist in power projection. The rafales will take 2030 to come.
Will also help in expanding our aerospace industry.

Well i already told you that it's easier and less expensive to churn out more Su-30 mki and we have a upgrade in pipeline for them which will make them almost as capable as j16 (except for engine and composite), and have achieved very high level of indigenisation which will only increase after super sukhoi upgrade.

But IAF is not interested in any russian fighter jet except Su-57, and that too is because we don't have any other option (as we will never buy F-35) and Pakistani is getting a 6th gen before 2030.