The Indian press, as your diplomats in New Delhi will tell you, are hyperactive. They are powerful in their own right and can rarely be diverted, either by bribery or by coercion. They like reporting each and every negative development or even less than positive developments, in shrill and high tones, and have mercilessly highlighted any and every shortcoming of the country. Almost every news item or issue on which a Pakistani - or a Bangladeshi or a Chinese - makes a rude comment has originated in the Indian press.
So bad publicity in the Indian press is not an index of performance.
As far as the factors of performance are concerned, most of them are specifically linked to a weak engine, due to the failure of the establishment working on that, the lack of an active array radar, due to a similar reason, and one or two other much smaller bits and pieces. The engine to fly this plane after productionising is done has been identified and is being integrated; the radar is on order. That leaves some relatively minor issues. The point is that the pilot and the Air Force high command certainly do not want to take anything for granted, and quite rightly so. They are holding out to ensure that the work was well done.
I hope this clarifies.
