Are they planning to start production even before system validation and certification is over? The same stupidity was adapted for F-35 and it was a disaster.
Well it seems the two optimists have already covered all the points . I'm with them in this regard . The B R F gang who've been tracking these developments since ages also share the same outlook .
It's not that difficult to see the reasoning , truth be told. As it has been pointed out before the Mk-2 can be seen or rather should be seen as an advanced iteration of the Mk-1 & Mk-1a . All that really needs to be validated are it's aerodynamic performances / kinematics for which the envelope will be gradually opened up .
All the other avionics & sub systems like the EW suite , the ASPJ , AESA radar etc will have undergone extensive testing on other platforms & duly certified for operations before going on board the Mk-2 .
The only trouble spot as I see it is in the initial flight testing & the final stage where all these systems come together & should perform in sync with each other in perfect harmony. It's in the last stage you can expect glitches & bugs which may take some time before things get ironed out , hopefully without taking undue time .
The initial production capacity will be low key as the systems keep getting validated . Moreover production shouldn't be a problem as by 2028-29 HAL & it's vendors would have had a full decade plus of experience mfg 2 iterations of the LCA. Ditto for ADA / DRDO , MoD , IAF & the test teams . That's more than enough experience to deliver a top quality product meeting stringent QC requirements in a stipulated time frame.
Comparisons with the LCA Mk-1 are unfair & unwarranted for around the time before MP brokered an understanding between all concerned parties everybody was doing their own thing & essentially working at cross purposes. Lingering suspicions would prompt everybody to err on the side of caution. Add to this the fact that this was the first in house mega project we had undertaken after the HAL Marut which was way back in the 1960s & early 1970s.
Comparisons with the F-35 are also futile as that was essentially 3 FA projects rolled into one & a far more complicated project even by the standards of the USAF , DoD & LM with their vast experience. These comparisons should be saved for when we get the AMCA out for testing particularly the Mk-2 version although the F-35 would still outrank the former in terms of sheer complexities , but they'd be in the same bandwidth.
Trust that clarifies.