No, I'm calling you the fanboy.
I'm pretty sure you are referring to Raha. Since it was Raha's claim, not mine. After all, I didn't decide IAF wants 200+ Rafales, it was Raha.
I don't know what's so confusing here. Airforce realized they won't be getting even the 126 (MMRCA) of overpriced Rafales let alone 200+. Thus they explored the possibility of single-engine medium fighters. Now they are betting on MRFA under the strategic partnership program. Which MoD will drag on for few more years before having any real decision to move forward or scrap. In the next 5 years they could order a few more rafale squadrons as a follow-on order. That's it!. And yet here you are talking about 200+ rafales.
Nope. The air force realised Rafale class will be too expensive, so they switched sights to Gripen class. Then Gripen class switched to MWF, so now Rafale class is back on.
There will be MRFA for Rafale class, starting with 114 jets and climbing to 150-250 over the years. And then there's the MWF. Both are separate requirements.
Our current Chief has already made it very clear.
CDS Gen. Bipin Rawat had said IAF was planning to buy the indigenous LCA Tejas instead of 114 ‘Make in India’ foreign jets.
theprint.in
Bhadauria said Monday that the list of aircraft planned to be inducted by the IAF includes 36 Rafales, 114 multirole fighter aircraft, 100 advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) and over 200 LCAs in different variants.
However, IAF chief Bhadauria told news agency ANI Monday: “This project (114 jets) is in the middle-weight and is in the Rafale class, in this issue, we will deal with it in the Make in India region, with an increase in FDI, with support to the private sector. I think in future this will bring in technology which is required to support the aviation sector. I think it is important to have another generation of aircraft in terms of capability, technology as we go along (sic).”
It literally doesn't get any clearer than this. Literally, like it's in your face. Right there. You can't miss it.
Again, there are two separate programs. One for 114 Rafale and the other for 118 MWF/LCA Mk2. This requirement has been since the last 2 decades. Hasn't changed.
The redesign of LCA mk2 began during 2014. Of course, the airforce chief was aware of its existence.
Nope. The configuration itself was finalised in 2018.
What you are referring to is the first modification of the Mk2, which wasn't all that great. There were three main modifications, and the third one became MWF in 2018. Then came the PDP stage. Until its finalisation in 2018, it didn't exist. It wasn't even vapourware when Raha was in office.
In fact it's because the IAF under Raha released the requirement for a Gripen/F-16 class fighter that ADA responded with MWF to replace it. Only in 2018 the govt backed out of the Gripen/F-16 tender and supported Rafale class tender once ADA decided to pursue MWF. Ever since 2018, the medium weight category
publicly branched off into two different fighter jets.
So when we talk about MRFA today, it's about Rafale vs Typhoon all over again. If MRFA is going to be scrapped, according to you, then the full 200 jet requirement will have to come in as a single vendor GTG. But then I agree with this rather than the tender. The MoD wanted GTG for 90 jets whereas the IAF wants a tender. I'd definitely agree that the tender should be cancelled and those "few" squadrons you mentioned, numbering at least 9 according to me, should come in through GTG. But then I'm fine with a tender as well, the delay will allow the induction of the Rafale F4.2 instead of the F3R or F4.1.
I hope this ends this stupid discussion. It's been going on for the last 4 years now.
indianexpress.com
