Russia Offers to Cut Price of FGFA T-50, India Feels It Is Still Too Expensive: Media Claims

[Zarvan]

Even as Russia offered a cheaper deal on the PAK-FA fifth generation fighter aircraft, the Indian Air Force feels that it is still too expensive even at this price.

Russia last week, offered to slash price of its new Sukhoi T-50 (PAK-FA)’s technological know-how under the FGFA from $6 billion to $3.7 billion to India. Under the new offer, India will have to pay $3.7 billion, instead of $6 billion, for the technological know-how and three prototypes of PAK FA fighters.

The Indian Air Force however remains opposed to the idea. A senior IAF official was quoted as saying by Indian Express news daily last week that, “We are not in favour of the FGFA. The PAK FA fighter is too expensive at even this rate, and we are not sure of its capabilities.”

India is concerned about the fighter jet’s stealth capabilities, avionics and the engines as the current NPO Saturn AL-41F1 engines are not adequate to power the jet, National Interest news daily reported Tuesday.

Russian air force is planning to buy only 12 of these fighter aircraft until it develops powerful engines and is continuing production of advanced Su-30 and Su-35 Flanker variants. This signals that Russia itself doesn’t have faith in the T-50, the news daily reported.

However sources familiar with the development said that having spent INR 1500 crore (US$2.4 billion approx) on the FGFA's preliminary design, India does not have the option of walking out of the project. Also, India needs a fifth generation fighter to counter similar developments in China and many US allies in line to receive the F-35.

Russia Offers to Cut Price of FGFA T-50, India Feels It Is Still Too Expensive: Media Claims

 

[Perpendicular]

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

The Indian Air Force however remains opposed to the idea.

A senior IAF official was quoted as saying by Indian Express news daily last week that, “We are not in favour of the FGFA."

Huh? Why?

Where else are you going to get a 5th generation fighter from.

And $3.7 billion is not a bad deal. Hell we made a gas deal with Russia that cost us $1 trillion. And we can get gas anywhere, but where else can you get a 5th generation fighter from.

 

[Skull and Bones]

Huh? Why?

Where else are you going to get a 5th generation fighter from.

And $3.7 billion is not a bad deal. Hell we made a gas deal with Russia that cost us $1 trillion. And we can get gas anywhere, but where else can you get a 5th generation fighter from.

Probably some of them are on a US payroll to mothball the FGFA procurement in favor of F-35.

 

[Fandingo]

This is pure pressure tactic by MoD and IAF to ensure Russians stay in line. No body, not even china will give them money for a half completed project. Once Rafale goes through and FGFA negotiators panic, IAF will automatically agree.

China with LRIP J 20 buying incomplete FGFA. LOL.

 

[surya kiran]

Huh? Why?

Where else are you going to get a 5th generation fighter from.

And $3.7 billion is not a bad deal. Hell we made a gas deal with Russia that cost us $1 trillion. And we can get gas anywhere, but where else can you get a 5th generation fighter from.

The IAF wants the Rafale in big numbers. They refused to take the Tejas and it had to be rammed down their throat. You really think the IAF would support any in country development. If the FGFA actually works, its bye bye foreign maal (stuff).

They most probably want the F-35. This would be catastrophic for Indian interests. We actually could have taken the excess production capacity and started induction of the T-50 and had it upgraded in blocks. But, that would throw a spanner in the procurement of more Rafales.

 

[#hydra#]

Stupid Indian bureaucrats,what they are expecting? Cost of a fifth generation fighter as cheep as mig 21 or what

 

[Maravan]

36 rafales are $4+ billion... Fifth gen fighter dev at 3.7 billion is expensive? Good going...

 

[Oldman1]

3 prototypes and all the tech developed for the fighter. Think its worth the value.

 

[Indian Jatt]

Yaar apni military ke nakhre bade hai.....sab mil jata hai naa....bolte hai naa akal waqt ke saath nahi thokar kane ke baad aati hai....we need some smart people up there on top of MOD.....we need to balance our approach, as we can see, its tilting towards west.....i fear we could loose russia to china and Pakistan.....and also this may lead to a huge blunder of 21 century..... Till 2050 we need Russian help and assistance

 

[Rajaraja Chola]

However sources familiar with the development said that having spent INR 1500 crore (US$2.4 billion approx) on the FGFA's preliminary design, India does not have the option of walking out of the project. Also, India needs a fifth generation fighter to counter similar developments in China and many US allies in line to receive the F-35.

Russia Offers to Cut Price of FGFA T-50, India Feels It Is Still Too Expensive: Media Claims

1500 Cr is not 1.4 Billion. An big goof up by the author.

They are now seeing how cheap and advantageous Tejas is, as it was developed at the cost of 1.4 Billion odd dollars.
I am not sure what IAF. Either IAF should have engines they want. If not, they should wait till Russia makes up one. So till that these guys wont participate in research and its development. There are a lot of work to be done on it .

MoD. Please hammerdown IAF.

 

[dadeechi]

Stupid Indian bureaucrats,what they are expecting? Cost of a fifth generation fighter as cheep as mig 21 or what

This has nothing to do with Bureaucracy. IAF have always been opposed to Russian origin fighters. Now seems like they are receiving support from the government too unlike the earlier congress governments. If PAK-FA is NOT closed in month from the RAFALE deal, we can consider this deal as dead.

 

[atomix]

Given that future wars will be fought with strength of economy it makes more sense to invest in LCA and get some crap flying in the sky. Spending a fortune to get half baked products which we cannot fix ourself will makes us hostage to the other countries whims & fancies. In the last 30 years all our wars (except kargil where there were airstrikes) were land based and we dint do any fancy stuff like deep strike. Better to have few good front line strike airfcraft and rest of them backing up like LCA.

India is simply becoming a milking cow for western companies.

 

[PRC]

The issue is both with IAF and Russia. The Russian as of now has not given IAF, the required level of access to PAK FA where they can judge the capabilities of the plane. A large section in IAF does not agree with Russian on the 5th generation capabilities suggested by Russians. As of now, large no. of Rafale is what IAF wants from the Indian Govt.