Please, the Kalyani group has ZERO experience in this area, they were at least a decade (probably more0 from having a product ready to go into service. Considering the IA has already wasted 30 years with zero arty inductions, do you want them to wait yet longer?
The M777 deal is a bloody god send to the IA and its MSC.
It sure is but it has its place and the M777 has its.
The Mi-26s will be out of service within 4 years.
The IAF selected the CH-47F over the Mi-26, end of story.
At present the IAF has,perhaps, 1 Mi-26 in a fly-worthy condition at any given time.
The Mi-26 is unable to operate from the forward positions of the IA (too damn big, its massive downwash is bloody dangerous for a lot of these locations), is a pain in the backside to keep airworthy (Boeing will guarantee an availability rate in excess of 90% for the Chinooks, the Mi-26-T2 would be lucky to get 60%) and has a limited military role.
It is like the argument of the AN-124 vs the C-17. One can lift more but is a hanger queen and expensive to operate, the other carries relatively less cargo but can be operated from nearly anywhere, is a dream to fly and keep airworthy and is far more suited to military operations.