Best Plane for Indian MRCA 126 Deal, page 1
Boeing F-18 E/F Super Fries (Hornet)
Good Points:
-It has AESA (and we all know that having an AESA radar means you can see things farther away, keep track of more of them, launch lots of missiles, battle Japanese city-destroying monsters, fix marriages, and dissipate flatulence in enclosed areas. Trust me. The sales brochure says so.)
-It's an upgrade of a proven airframe
-Taking the whole package, you also get proven equipment to go along with it, including AMRAAM, a few AIM-9's, and other fun toys.
-It's got 11 hard points and the carrying capacity for a lot of doodads, thingamabobs, and doohickeys.
Bad Points:
-This thing is the largest and heaviest in the competition by far.
-The Indians already have a really big fighter, they want a complimentary small one. This just isn't what they want.
-So far, AESA on the Super Fries is pretty spotty. I know, it'll be fixed in a future upgrade, but the competition is now.
-It's slightly smaller than the $45 million Su-30 MKI's and yet costs about 12 million more.
-It's not stealth. Apparently everyone in the 21st century needs stealth or the F-22 will destroy them from 500 km away. With a gun burst.
Final Word:
The aircraft is definitely useful, but ultimately it just doesn't fit the niche that the Indians are looking for. It's kind of like the one-and-a-half-hand bastard sword, it's a bit smaller than the Su-30 MKI's, but too large to be the small multirole that's the goal here. It does have the AESA radar, but that's not special since the MiG-35 is flying around. Also, there have been reports of the F-18's radar has been slightly spotty. I really think that this aircraft, although not a bad one, is just not the right choice here.
Mikoyan MiG-35 Fulcrum-F:
Good Points:
-It's a light multirole. This sounds familiar, possibly related to the idea of some competition?
-It's the other AESA-bearing aircraft, which is a big plus nowadays.
-It makes a really good airshow, which is the prime use of most aircraft nowadays anyway.
-It was originally designed to compliment Su-XX fighters, which conveniently the Indians have.
-That OLS is really cool. It can switch between TV mode, IR mode, or both. It's a pretty neat improvement on IRST.
Bad Points:
-It's only got 8 hard points. Fewer toys to play with.
-It isn't Low-Observability
-It's still just a stopgap until the next multirole. In fact, it was almost just a demonstration that Mikoyan is still alive and doing stuff since Sukhoi got the prime spot in PAK-FA.
Final Word
It's a strong choice. MiG-29 complimented Su-27, MiG-35 compliments Su-30 MKI. It's a pretty good deal. It also has the AESA radar, which is a pretty big plus. It fits the job of a light multirole alternative to the MKI's in the Indian Air Force. That fits my checklist pretty good. I'd say it is currently at the top of it (and so do a few news sources).
Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon:
Good Points:
-For a PESA radar, CAPTOR is pretty impressive
-It is, in fact, pretty light. Which fits squarely into the requirements of which competition?
-It has supercruise. I don't think that any of the other toys in this competition have that.
-It's in full, reliable production. Order and they'll start shipping pretty soon.
Bad points:
-It has some RCS reductions, but still isn't stealth.
-The accompanying Meteor missile that's supposed to compliment it isn't quite out yet.
-How well would it mesh with the Su-30 MKI's systems?
Final Word
It's definitely a contender. It's been sold and is in full production for other countries, another order would definitely work for the Indians. It's a good performer and fits nicely into the niche. If the Indians can attach the weapons they've got and make it mesh properly, it could definitely work.
Lockheed Martin F-16 (Block 70):
Good Points:
-Hey, it has AESA as well. It's even what appears to be a later model than that on the Super Fries.
-It's a proven airframe
-It is indeed in the realm of the desirable for the Indians. It's a light multirole.
Bad Points:
-It's an old airframe and is not even close to Low-Observability. And you guys thought I was insane saying that Su-35 BM was made to be a little closer to the stealthy side.
-It's an airframe that is going to be very quickly made obsolete by the F-35. Upgrades on an older fighter won't take it past a totally new airframe destined for the same roles. If they want something like the F-16, it'd be wiser to just beg for the F-35.
Final Word:
I love the F-16. It's a cool, sexy plane. But the problem here is that it's getting to the point where you have to let it go. The F-16 is going to get replaced by what is pretty widely accepted as a superior aircraft, the F-35 (just because I hate it doesn't mean I get to negate fact). Also, the infrastructure for the F-16's is simply not there for India, regardless of how cool we think it'd be to see F-16's and Su-30 MKI's in formation together. It's just not the choice for India.
Saab JAS39 Gripen
Good Points:
-One of the coolest features: It is made for really fast turnaround. It is supposed to land, rearm, and get back up with a 5 man crew in ten minutes. It can even land on public highways.
-It can do some very short landings and takeoffs. It's made to work in less than 800m.
Bad Points:
-It's tiny. Really tiny. So tiny, in fact, that it'll be taking the spot of the HAL Tejas aircraft currently in development by the Indian Air Force. Undesirable.
-It's expensive. For such a small aircraft it is unbelievably expensive. 45-40 million per unit. Ouch.
-It doesn't have AESA, TVC, or really many of those whizz-bang features we all love
-It's not capable of handling a lot of current armament. It's best armament would probably be the Meteor, which has yet to come out.
Final Word:
The JAS39 is an awesome mini-plane. If you want something unbelievably light for duty, this would be it. Unfortunately this conflicts with the HAL Tejas that the Indians have going, so its purchase is not very likely or useful. Disappointing since Saab makes some of the coolest planes.
Dassault Rafale
Good Points
-It's definitely in the weight spectrum that the Indian Air Force is looking for.
-It has that nifty SPECTRA electronic survival completely integrated with the airframe. It's not like having complete all-aspect stealth, but it does have some accompanying passive sensors for signature control.
Bad Points
-It's pretty expensive, at what looks to be like about 60 million US each.
-No AESA, and not much integration with the accompanying Indian inventory, the MKI's.
Final Word
I really don't consider the Rafale a particular contender here. It was made with France's defense in mind since they refused the Eurofighter deal. Although not a bad fighter and having some genuinely cool stuff, I don't think it's quite leading the pack here.
Verdict:
I think that we've got some serious competition up here. There's some serious hairiness about but I think it's pretty clear for me. If I were the Indian Air Force I'd be taking the MiG-35 or the EF-2000. Even then, I'd have to say that the MiG-35 would take the cake as it was made directly to compliment the heavier Sukhoi fighters (several of which India operates and manufactures). This gives it the ability to use existing infrastructure as well as perform its mission without infringing on the roles of others, fitting well between the Tejas and Flankers.
(kidding)
