sancho
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Exactly my point!
Why Indian Navy showed so much faith in LCA when they needed only a few on their Aircraft Carrier since you can't have 100 LCA
Buddy, are you convincing yourself with this, because the reality looks different!
The early plans
The naval prototypes are designated has NP-1 and NP-2; these are respectively the two-seat and single-seat variants. A design permitting operation from a carrier deck with a 14º ski-jump was approved in early 1999 and the final design was frozen , and development go-ahead was granted in mid-2002, although major funding was not released until early 2003...
...navy is expected to order 20 plus aircraft with 60 more in future orders
http://www.lca-tejas.org/navaltejas.html
November 2008
The LCA naval variant, which is to be used by the Navy in an air defence role from its carriers, will jockey for space on the deck with the MiG-29Ks that India is buying from Russia. It will be a replacement for the British-made Sea Harrier jump jets currently used by the Navy. The Navy has already placed intent to procure 40 aircraft.
The Hindu : National : Tejas naval variant to take to the skies in 2009
September 2009
Indian Navy has okay-ed the placement of an order for six Naval Tejas Light Combat Aircrafts (N-LCA)
Indian Navy Orders Six Naval Tejas LCA Fighters; Infuses Rs.900 Crore in Programme | India Defence
December 2009
Looking for an enhanced presence, the Navy is planning to buy a state-of-the-art, multi-role, new generation carrier-based fighter aircraft. And in pursuance of this, the Navy has sent out a request for information (RFI) to some of the worlds leading aircraft manufacturers.
ASIAN DEFENCE: India Navy Issues a RFI to EADS, Boeing, Saab and Dassault for New Carrier-Based Fighter Aircraft
March 2010
Russia and India have signed a $1.5-billion contract on the supplies of 29 more MiG-29K carrier-based fighter jets to New Delhi, the head of the Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG said on Friday.
India Orders 29 More MiG-29K Carrier-based Fighters :: Air-Attack.com
As you can see, in reality IN reduced their initial plans to order N-LCA in numbers, up to such a silly number of 6, but at the same time bought and are interested in more foreign fighters!
In contrast to that, in november 2009 IAF increased their initial order of 1 squad of LCA MK1 to a second one and evaluating engines for at least 100 MK2s (50 optional).
This order for 6 N-LCAs is nothing more than PR, to say that our indigenous carriers will also have indigenous fighters, like it was planed in the beginning. But all the delays and the lack of capabilities, made them re-think it. Six N-LCAs are not useful for air defense, in the anti ship role and there is no doubt about which will be the main carrier fighter of IN, the Mig 29K!
Btw, the investment of IN is not for the LCA development, but for the changes that are needed for the naval version only, so they didn't save LCA at all. More over, N-LCA is based on the MK2, so without a developed LCA MK2 for IAF, IN won't get N-LCA.
Talks prove nothing. Actions show what you are.
Exactly and I have to quote myself once again here:
LCA, Dhruv, LCH, LOH, Saras, indigenous trainer and UAVs, SAMs and other weapons
That is more than just talk, that is real action to push our defense industry!