Reading all the posts in this Thread, I am loving it. Three parties here though
1st -- Who thinks Rafale is not coming to India, and wish US planes - F-16 or F-18 coming
2nd -- Who is enjoying the delay in the Rafale deal IAF with low availability of MKI, as though they are ready with cash in their pocket to buy Rafale.
3rd -- Who think Rafale deal will go through.
For first Party -- There is no chance of US Planes to enter IAF service, because low cost of the planes due to high number manufactured globally will be nullify with the fact that IAF have to setup repair and support infrastructure in India, All US weapons package, which don't have any comonality with the existing fighter planes, and PAF already have F-16 with block 52 as the best in her inventory.
For Second Party -- Including some of the so called Senior members, Two questions, why bother for the MKI availability number, and never spoke of the Typhoon availability
Second question what is the availability rate of F-16 in PAF ??
Coming to the Point, Is it so difficult to understand simple things :-
1. Original MMRCA deal is been scraped, and the problem of Dassault not giving the guarantee to the HAL produced Rafale is not due to HAL quality but due to various OEMs providing the subsystems in Rafale which insisted, HAL to buy all tools, and equipment from the French supplier, and not by issuing the Global tender. Now MOD, have cleared that Dassault can choose any pvt firm of its own choise, for the MIL produced Rafale, then there is no point of bringing old and outdated facts and news period.
2. Why Rafale is needed when MKI is there, is due to the fact that the MKI airframe is not certified for low altitude DPSAU like Rafale (due to the fact, it was meant for Air Superiority/Air Defence), and when I say certified, it means not certified by the original OEM Sukhoi, like Su-35, nor its PESA BARS radar have the capablity to map the ground needed for terrain following interleaved operation along with the A2A operations.
3. If India, have to make a small deal, it would have gone through way long, but this Rafale deal is going for a long run planning, and the number of Rafale would likely to depend on how FGFA would perform, because IAF is now started preparation for the 5th Gen Warfare. How many of you would consider EF-2000 and Rafale as the 5th Gen warfare capable -- For me both of them along with Su-35 is 5th Gen warfare capable or its latest tranche would.
4. Unknown French or IAF official mentioned by Paid Prestitute, does any official have said anything. Every one is guessing anything, kindly wait for some time, and mist clear, and stop guessing whether its the price, or the MIL or the numbers, reason no body knows the real talks, whether its the upgraded engine of M88 ver 9 or upgraded avionics, or the customised weapon package.
And for the 3rd Group who think this Rafale deal will go through -- I am optimistic, but not with the numbers like 189 - 200 or 250 like
@PARIKRAMA because, I believe the real number would depend on the FGFA.