India Took a Shocking 33 Years to Develop a Jet Fighter (And It’s Still Not Ready for Combat)

[fatman17]

“Once the engine houses make it a flightworthy engine, we have numerous programs coming up and there is more than one place for it to be fitted. The question is whether we will be able to fit it into only the LCA or will we be able to get it into the (GE) 414 with the higher power is a point that we are raising,” C.P. Ramanarayanan, DRDO’s Director General for Aeronautics told India’s Business Standard.

Given India’s abysmal track record in developing indigenous combat aircraft, there is little reason to be optimistic about New Delhi’s prospects for the Tejas. Frankly, the Indian Air Force would be better served by relegating the Tejas to being technology demonstrator and simply buying a genuine combat aircraft from one of its allies.

Dave Majumdar is the defense editor for the National Interest. You can follow him on Twitter: @davemajumdar.

 

[satishkumarcsc]

33 years to build a complete ecosystem to develop a 5th gen fighter is akin to speeding up evolution in 1/3rd of the time. I commend them for it.

 

[帅的一匹]

Tejas is low cost light weight budget fighter .

It will form the bottom rung of the Indian airforces multiple combat types fleet.

Most countries only have two types in their fleet.

I think tejas will only enter in six sqds before being shelved

Low cost? Are you sure?!

 

[axisofevil]

This is quite frank, but it will not be received well by most Indian members here Quite surprised, this article was posted by an Indian member. Hats off!

HE is a false flagger just like Ashok

 

[KRAIT]

We are building our own not some cheap CHinese supa powa joke fiighter 17.

 

[SingaporeGuy]

actually 33 years to build a 4G fighter is rubbish.

by the time the last tejas comes out of the production line, china air force will be all 5G aircraft,

Even a transfer of tech is bullshit, because the avionics is non indian.

Only the airframe is from india