F35 Lightning above

India' s requirement for Multi-role Combat Aircraft invited bids from seemingly the best but on felt shortchanged with F16 on offers from Lockheed Martin, and similarily Boeing offered something below par. However even if we have chosen to go ahead with Eurofighters/Rafale's from Europe, now that US is willing to offer the MRCA creme de la creme without fear of misuse of its 'technology' India should not ignore the progress on the relationship fron twith the USA and go backl tp the drawing board. Owning F35 LIIs will be good for a morale and if US is not really serious about this 'dangling carrot' then it will expose that lie as well.

I'd say give the Eurofighters a rest and give Lockheed a chance  

The New Su-30s we are getting the latest (All images courtesy Zemanta)

However, that will only further increase the budget which is already a good $20 bln.

Buying 126 aircraft with long range arrangements on the Sukhoi 30 being built in India with Stealth technology being also done, probably will start another round of bickering over who to listen to, but it may be worth not investing the country's scarce resource in suspect technologies rather than just throw the entire defence budget into the sea. India is already investing in the new C130s with Lockheed ( we are buying 6 C130s) and one cannot but feel that technically the go ahead given to Euro technologies may be treading on thin water.. The modernization of the IAF fleet was long overdue and we should make sure we make long-standing decisions than go on with half cooked broth because we were in Ladakh at some point.

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• Indian MMRCA contract: Financial bids from Eurofighter and Rafale due on 4th November (ktwop.wordpress.com)
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