Agreed
The base is derived from HF-24 and work done on HF-73. It's like if it's already there, why not show it.
#51 is the only reason why waiting to see how this turns out.
HAL is probably banking on older work already done during HF-24 development and HF-73 studies to cut down the cost and speed up the process.
At the end all we can do now is wait and watch.
I do get the surprise in a bad way part. No one in particular demanded it. And it seems not in the category of what it's named.
But then again it's HALs internal efforts as of now. If it had been a MoD/IAF effort, I would have been mad. But right now I am just curious on how it may progress.