Lockheed-Martin plans to respond to the Indian Navy’s recent RFI for a new generation carrier-based figher with two parallel dockets on the STOVL F-35B and the carrier variant F-35C. While it was initially thought that the F-35B would be the variant offered (since it appeared a logical replacement for India’s Sea Harrier jump jets), Lockeed-Martin Biz Development (India) VP Orville Prins told me and a few other journalists today that Lockheed-Martin is conducting simulation and analysis studies to support the team’s supposition that the F-35C — built for a steam catapult launch off aircraft carriers — is also capable of short take-offs from ski-jumps. The simulation and analysis will take into account various stress and strain parameters. The RFI to Lockheed-Martin simply requested information on the F-35 as a potential future carrier-based asset for the Indian Navy, and did not specify a variant. While LM has provided the Navy with programme-level briefings it will shortly begin a round of technical briefings on both the F-35 variants it plans to offer.
Prins cannot ever resist a swipe at the Saab folks. Asked about the other potential contenders in the Indian Navy fighter competition, he scoffed, “The Sea Gripen? What are they talking about? That’s a paper plane.”
Photo: JSF.mil
Wow. Just wow. I don't want to seem like someone wowed by 'Amreekhan stuff' but the very fact that the US is offering us their most advanced fighter, in spite of the risk that the technology could find its way into Russian hands for the PAK-FA, is a big thing. The Indian navy should welcome this craft into their inventory with open arms.
I've said it before, but for our future needs having more than one or two carrier-borne fighters is just a waste of logistics. Now that IAF has already decided on selecting a second fighter, let it buy the F-35B and get it over with.
This is not a knock on the LCA's ability, but it was a plane not designed with the Air Force's needs in mind and not the Navy's. Considering the small production numbers required(20-30) developing a naval variant is a needless expense. Simply by virtue of its delta wing and single-engine design it's less suitable for carrier operations than either the MiG-29K.
PAKFA, MCA & now this…i don't think this is going to happen. It will take nearly 2 more decades for first F-35 delivery. Till that time MCA would be ready & so will be its naval version.
Sorry, but at this stage MCA exists only on paper. Development wont even begin until 2012 or so, if ever. It's intended that the technology acquired from PAK-FA/FGFA will kick-start the MCA.
Get it and Reverse Engineer it. Like Chinkis do 😀
I am not joking, once again. Buy it and get it inspected from our top scientists and engineers and IIT students and organize competition to copy it ( or even come up with better one).
Lets beat Chinkis in Copy and paste (Rather than their Copy and "Waste")
I think Lockheed may be willing to workout a deal to supply India Out of turn if the order was big enough.
Gautam , Sir Ji!
Sorry, You do crave the "Amreekan Stuff"
Here is why. There is no true logic behind your actions. If India has a Defence Pact with Russia – you – my dear friend find your speech patterns lit up by going "Amreekan". And Hello! The day India bids Goodbye to Russia with Love – that day being very near in the future – thanks to Dear Friends like you – Gautam Sir! And India then signs a Defence Pact with USA – Sir! Wait! – you will want to go Russian – LOL.
You deal – My Dear Friend – in a tried and tested logic – Converse Logic – You love to negate everything – in the name of God or Democracy – You like to win everytime – YOU ARE A NAZI! You kill ideas, thoughts, perspiration, perseverance, truth, beauty, courage, independence, freedom – by NEGATION. LOL.
I like you, My Dear Sir! You are a true Indian Hero.
so it will be Mig 29K, N-LCA, F35B/C…N-MCA
Why the circus?
Guys, the F-35 does not exist either, just a few prototypes which fly from time to time. Very far from being inducted soon into US services. And, did you ask yourself what would be the ToT for this machine ? Zero. Look at the UK and other partners of the project. We don't even know the real capabilities and price of this toy.
That said, Prins is right: Sea Gripen is a paper plane. He could have mentioned Sea Typhoon too.
Anon #6's post left me bewildered and wondering whether he was in a sober state before posting it: it isn't even clear if he is complementing or insulting me.
To the previous Anon, the F-35 'exists' about as much as the LCA mk.2 now. Several prototypes have been built and while a few years behind schedule it is likely to enter service years before the PAK-FA reaches IOC. Why shouldn't our navy have a fifth-generation fighter? Naval PAK-FA is projected only for post 2020 and being Flanker-sized will be too large to fit in any significant numbers on our aircraft carriers.
This one fits in IAC 2(bigger one) only , their are many years to come .
I WILL TAKE IT MINUS THE BUGS IN FCS AND RADAR SYSTEM AND THE SANCTIONS AND ADDIN FULL TOT AND LIFETIME SUPPLY OF SPARES AND O YES NO SUCH CLAUSES LIKE CANNOT BE USED AGAINST X AND Y
It is at a very premature stage. However it may certainly put a booster on Mig 29K and Naval LCA.
Even if there is no TOT we should go for it … its the best plane navy can get … no other is even close to this one … time line is not a big issue coz ..i think delivery will start after 2016 or so ..as even our IAC 2 will not be ready by then
Well, looking at the market, is there any other available lift fan type STOVL plane other than the F35C? And one with stealth which is flying at the moment?
It is also the replacement platform for existing Harrier operators such as Spain and Italy. This alone means that it is a one horse race.
The F-35 is planned to be used through 2040 with the USAAF and USN budgeting to buy >60% of the long term production run of >3,000 units. Currently there are about 28 prototypes and limited production variants in service and the earliest production variants are expected to be commissioned by 2012. Lockheed worked with Yakovlev Design on the F-35B, so that's one more thing for the naysayers on this forum to chew on. India can and drive a hard bargain on the F-35 because after the US it is the largest potential customer among the many forces that have expressed interest or joined the development program. While the current LCA-N and MiG29 are inducted, we should be planning now for augmenting force levels in 2020. So IAF will transition to as Su-30 MKI/Rafale/PAK-FA/LCA fleet, while the IN will transition to a MiG29K/F-35B-C/LCA-N fleet over the next 10 years. That's how we shd plan for a phase out of MiG27, Jaguar, Harrier, MiG21, M2K. Phase out and phase in take years.
Just awesome !!!
I want to see SU-30 MKI, Mirage 2000-5, Mig-29(Upgraded), Eurofighter Typhoon(M-Mrca Deal), HAL-FGFA & Tejas in IAF.
And Mig-29K, F-35 or Rafale or F18 super hornet gwalior for Indian navy. This would be great combination; with this combination we can squish any enemy.
We should run very fast to finalize M-MRCA deal.
Supposedly India this year will receive 100% MKI TOT. Does that mean India is all set to build MCA?
What technologies learnt from MKI TOT has been incorporated into LCA?
Does the Indian Navy really need a JSF ? Agreed the Sea-Harriers are begging to be retired, but that doesn't mean we buy hugely expensive JSFs.
I think that in the Indian Ocean, Naval-Tejas and MiG-29 Ks can do the job very well for the next two decades at least. No need of JSFs.
And why oh why does the Navy entertain the Sea-Gripen ? That Prims fellow is right — its just a Paper Plane ! IAF wouldn't touch a Tejas with a bargepole even if it is in the final stages of completion, but the IN is sending feelers to Sea-Gripen even though it DOES NOT EXIST and is many years away from even its debut flight.
@ What technologies learnt from MKI TOT has been incorporated into LCA?
ITS VICE VERSA YOU WILL HAVE TO FIND THE INFORMATION ON WHAT WAS PUT INTO MKI THAT WAS DEVELOPED ON LCA AND KEEP IT TO YOUR SELF THAT IS WHY THE LCA IS VERY VALUABLE PROJECT. AND GUESS WHY INDIA ORDERED MORE 42 MKI's IT WAS CRITISED BY A USAF OFFICER EVEN THEN ANSWERS ARE OUT THERE.
Once T-50/FGFA arrives, F-35 may become irrelevant within the mutual interference zones.
prakash,
In our region we don't simply need to be on par with our rivals, we need to OUTCLASS them, at least technologically, in order to maintain an advantage.
The Chinese navy is set to induct hundreds of shore and carrier based 4th generation fighters. We can't compete with those numbers. Since our naval doctrine is centred around aircraft carriers what we need is a qualitative advantage with a 5th gen stealth fighter like the F-35.
@RAT
That's my whole point….errr… without the caps lock.
Why is it that people still feel TOT is the deciding factor when making a purchase?
@ Why is it that people still feel TOT is the deciding factor when making a purchase?
BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT INDIA HAS NOT DEVELOPED PREVIOUSLY AND WILL TAKE A LOT OF TIME TO START FROM SCRATCH ALSO TOT IS JUST LIKE MAKING SOME ONE A PARTNER IN THE PROGRAM EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY AND AT THIS MOMENT WE CANNOT WAIT FOR DEVELOPING NEW TECHNICS ESPECIALLY WHEN OUR ENEMIES ARE AHEAD OF US SO THAT'S THE WHOLE FUSS ABOUT TOT MY FRIEND
I dont see the point in having 3 different types of carrier aircrafts, Mig 29K, LCA Navy and F35/Sea Gripen! Can you imagine the maintenance nightmare. Has the Navy not learned anything from the IAF
"Once T-50/FGFA arrives"
I somehow have a feeling, T-50 has ways to go before making it makes F35 grade.
when will te m-mrca deal will be finalised .i cant sleep neither can i concentrate on my studies.the deal comes even in my dreams .help .sos .i will probably go mad if this deal is not completed this year .shiv help .anyone help .please update something about the deal .helllllppppppp…………
What purpose these expensive latest generation military hardware serve. Do we even have the balls to use them.Pakistan doesn't have any thing to match our fighter jets but has it stopped them from waging a proxy war against us. And about china i better not say a word. Instead of spending billion dollars on weapons we should instead spend them on the poor of our country and give some money to the poor of Africa dying of hunger. May their blessing would save us from our blood thirsty warmonger devils very own neighbor.
Gautam, I think we DO NOT need the F-35. IAF seems to be exploring it merely because the MoD has a flush of funds. Any Navy would like to "get its hands" on the F-35. But only because we are a potential "ally" and have funds, thats why Lockheed is entertaining the Indian Navy.
Buying latest weapons does not make for a strong nation alone. For example, Saudi Arabia has Typhoons and F-15 eagles also. Yet, it is not seen as a "powerful" country.
Similarly, in a few years' time even Pakistan may be offered the Eurofighter and the latest F-18 E/F (navy). It doesn't mean that we also buy more and more F-35s.
We must build our indigenous capabilities in N-Tejas and if possible, N-AMCA. This perennial import spree at the slightest impulse MUST STOP.
Excuse me Rajiv, I beg to differ with U….A country can live without food, but not without honour…And honour lies in security…The world runs on one simple theory.."MIGHT IS RIGHT"…So if u need a place in this world, u got to have the best guns in ur belt…We shud churn the maximum out as long as US is on our side….This is our best opportunity…And besides we can reverse engineer the F-35s to improve our own N-MCAs and N-FGFAs.. And as per our naval ambitions, IAC 2 is suppose to b CATOBAR design close to the Anglo-French carriers…So Russian birds wont be of much help..We need F-35 for the job…
guys take this with a pinch of salt…after all the same guy said pak f-16 where no coming with CFT's….guess what? they are.
@RAT
never mind.
India will eventually build N-LCA, N-MCA and many more variations BUT until LCA and MCA are effective weapons, the army/navy will need stop gap solutions.
If India is going MRCA route, then the F35 should be on the list. I don't see the point in having 120+ planes of a totally different type that are at the same or lower category compared to MKI.
In any war with China, the F35 will always be at the back of their minds. To them it will be an unknown factor. If Lockheed agrees for faster delivery, F35 will be the best stop gap solution (10+ years) until MCA, and FGFA are ready in sufficient numbers.
Abdhid, let's be realistic here. Neither N-LCA, nor MCA(if and when it ever reaches IOC), nor even naval T-50 will ever have the capability of PAK-FA.
And what exactly makes for a strong military other than weapons? Great pilots? We have that, but how is that going to help when China brandishes its 200+ naval fighters? The Indian navy needs a 5th gen fighter. No amount of patriotism will give the same benefit.
I fully agree with Abhid, we should stop thinking of imports and concentrate on indeginous manufacture. County like INDIA, which has huge army should not import and depend on others. We cannot become atleast regional power if we do that.
We have started the indigenous development, let that continue.
We should develop our own onces in no time.
Also i heard that US gives inferior stuff to its customers and it programs the software in such a way that the weapon cannot be used against US.
Anonymous @3:09, the F-35 is meant for IAC, which will not roll out before 2015. By that time, the N-Tejas will be ready and rearing to go. So there goes your argument about F-35 being a so called stop-gap fighter.
And Gautam, you please don't unnecessarily worry about 200+ Chinese naval fighters. Chinese navy does NOT have a single aircraft carrier. They'll have their first one only by 2015, and that too its unlikely to start meandering in the Indian Ocean any time soon.
Till that time, our Gorshkov and IAC-1 equipped with N-Tejas and MiG-29Ks will be able to take care of Indian Navy's maritime interests for the next 2 decades. So please cut out your 200-Chinese-fighters argument.
A little clarification. In my previous post I meant to say 'Neither N-LCA, nor MCA, nor even naval T-50 will ever have the overall capability of F-35'
Abhid, if you've followed the relevant news sources(and it seems you haven't) you'll know that the PLAN, even today, has more fighters(Su-30MKKs and J-11s) than the Indian Navy. Currently they're all stationed on shore, but they are highly capable fighters, arguably more so than the MiG-29K. They're already testing a carrier-borne version with plans to build at least 50-60. I'm not repeating myself for no reason, I'm stating fact while you're giving an opinion.
Secondly, just because we have the capability to develop an indigenous naval fighter doesn't necessarily mean we have to exercise it. Why do you think all the European nations (except France) with their advanced aerospace industries all plan on buying F-35 for their navies? Do you think they couldn't develop an indigenous naval fighter?
They could, only they've decided it would be an unnecessary expenditure when they have a far better fighter than they could hope to achieve with their own aerospace industries.
The Indian Navy already has an excellent fighter in the MiG-29K, of which it is buying 45 to equip Vikramaditya and IAC-1. If they even need a second naval fighter(almost all navies use only one due to logistics limits on an aircraft carrier) they should go for the best option available. Which, BTW will be in serial production by the time IAC-2 is launched, so please cut out your 'Unfinished! Prototype!' argument.
The LCA was designed as a low-cost replacement for the hundreds of MiGs in IAF service and it serves that role very well. But its single-engined delta-wing design is unsuitable for navy use compared to the MiG-29K, Rafale or F-35(the last these is also single-engined but uses steam catapults/VTOL lift for takeoff, so it doesn't matter).
We all have suffered much heartburn on Arjun failure only to see the tank prove itself.
We all have suffered much heartburn on Akash only to see the missile being accepted by Army & IAF.
Ditto with MKIs when the first batch was late and then the squadrons started building up nicely.
Angi-3 anyone?
Are turbofan and a good naval fighter truly problems that cannot be overcome without prejudice to the current heartburn?
– Manne
I do not comprehend this stupidity. If F35 is available for Navy, why on eart are Lockheed Martin offering F-16 for MMRCA? Why is IAF even considering F-16 and other 4th gen aircraft if F-35 is available?
Could it be that F-35 is not really available, and this is just a carrot to lure us dumb Indians to buy F-16s?
/sarcasm
Gautam, you are regurgitating Falsehoods throughout :-
1) PLAN does NOT operate J-11s and J-10s. There is NO naval J-10 or J-11 in service or even planned by PLAN. It operates old MiG-21 derivatives like J-7E and cold-war JH-7A bombers from its Eastern Coast, all directed towards Taiwan and Japan. Don't worry, they are NOT carrier capable.
2) Please stop saying that LCA Tejas is only an Air-Force plane. You think DRDO is thrusting the N-Tejas down the IN's throat ? The IN itself inquired about the feasibility of a N-Tejas to ADA a few years back. ADA did a study and responded that its possible. IN immediately allocated funds and ordered 3 squadrons of N-Tejas. In short, N-Tejas is IN's initiative and as per IN's requirements. ADA or HAL or MoD are not forcing them to buy N-Tejas.
3) PLAN won't have an aircraft carrier before 2015. And even then, they'll not have J-10s or J-11s on it. And it won't be venturing into Indian Ocean many many years later. So our N-Tejas and MiG-29Ks shall take care of Indian Ocean Region for a long time to come. You are needlessly whipping up a mythical Chinese threat when there is none.
4) The only countries from Europe that are buying F-35 are those that have invested their hard-earned money into it, like Turkey, Norway, and Denmark. France (N-Rafale), Sweden (Sea-Gripen) and some nations from the European consortium (Sea Typhoon) don't care about the naval F-35.
And I already explained exactly why the N-LCA is unsuited for Navy needs vis a vis the rest. You don't believe me because of your faith in it in general, so there is no point repeating myself and being accued of 'regurgitating falsehoods' again by people like you.
Abhid
You arrogantly accuse me of spreading falsehoods without doing any research yourself… or perhaps you know but don't want to concede an argument in which case you're the one spreading falsehood.
Here is the most basic source of them all.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-30MKK#Su-30MK2
Su-30MK2
"With its improved avionics, the MK2 was designed for more dedicated use as a maritime strike aircraft, thus these aircraft ordered by China are currently being operated by the Naval Air Force."
http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/fighter/su30.asp
"The third batch, which consisted of 24 examples of the upgraded Su-30MKK2 variant, was delivered to the PLA Naval Air Force (PLANAF) in August 2004."
http://military.globaltimes.cn/china/2010-05/531084.html
"The J-11s are in a very light grey livery consistent with the PLANAF's Sukhoi Su-30MKK2 fighters, 24 (one regiment) of which were delivered in 2004, Jane’s said"
"It is not clear if the new J-11s will take the place of China's older Shenyang J-8B/D fighters. Compared with the J-8, J-11BH can provide PLANAF a new platform with significantly greater combat potential."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyang_J-15
"The first J-15 prototype is believed to have performed its maiden flight on August 31, 2009, with power supplied by Shenyang WS-10 turbofan engines"
Do you need any more evidence or are these all lies?
About the F-35, the amount of 'hard-earned money' those countries have invested in its development(collectively about $4 billion) is negligible compared to what they've invested in their own fighter programs. Except France(who already built the Rafale M years ago) all the countries that have AIRCRAFT CARRIERS(Not Sweden) are equipping them with F-35Bs to replace their Sea Harriers. Not the Sea Gripen and Sea Typhoon that are being pushed on the Indian navy instead.
Abhid
You arrogantly accuse me of spreading falsehoods without doing any research yourself… or perhaps you know but don't want to concede an argument in which case you're the one spreading falsehood.
Here is the most basic source of them all.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-30MKK#Su-30MK2
Su-30MK2
"With its improved avionics, the MK2 was designed for more dedicated use as a maritime strike aircraft, thus these aircraft ordered by China are currently being operated by the Naval Air Force."
http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/fighter/su30.asp
"The third batch, which consisted of 24 examples of the upgraded Su-30MKK2 variant, was delivered to the PLA Naval Air Force (PLANAF) in August 2004."
http://military.globaltimes.cn/china/2010-05/531084.html
"The J-11s are in a very light grey livery consistent with the PLANAF's Sukhoi Su-30MKK2 fighters, 24 (one regiment) of which were delivered in 2004, Jane’s said"
"It is not clear if the new J-11s will take the place of China's older Shenyang J-8B/D fighters. Compared with the J-8, J-11BH can provide PLANAF a new platform with significantly greater combat potential."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyang_J-15
"The first J-15 prototype is believed to have performed its maiden flight on August 31, 2009, with power supplied by Shenyang WS-10 turbofan engines"
Do you need any more evidence or are these all lies?
About the F-35, the amount of 'hard-earned money' those countries have invested in its development(collectively about $4 billion) is negligible compared to what they've invested in their own fighter programs. Except France(who already built the Rafale M years ago) all the countries that have AIRCRAFT CARRIERS(Not Sweden) are equipping them with F-35Bs to replace their Sea Harriers. Not the Sea Gripen and Sea Typhoon that are being pushed on the Indian navy instead.
And I already explained exactly why the N-LCA is unsuited for Navy needs vis a vis the rest. You don't believe me because of your faith in it in general, so there is no point repeating myself and being accued of 'regurgitating falsehoods' again by people like you.
Oops ! Navy ordered 3 Tejas and not 3 Squadrons.
The error is DEEPLY regretted.
OK. About the J-11Bs, the first public sightings were reported by Janes Defence only 30 days back, so I missed that. I now agree you are correct about J-11.
Prior to that, there was NO report of PLANAF having J-11 (or even the much touted J-10C. J-10C exists only on Chinese jingo forums).
PLAN has only 24 Su-30 MK2. No further orders are there, as PLAN is not interested in it. And that too these are shore based and NOT carrier capable. What will they possibly do to IN ?
PLAN was caught in the J-15, because Russia has accused it of intellectual property violation (J-15 is an illegal copy of Su-33). So, there goes J-15 out of the window.
95% of PLANAF consists of ancient J-7Es and antique JH-7A fighter bombers, which are not going to be replaced any time soon. They are NOT carrier capable. They can't even fly to Japan without refuelling, forget thinking of coming all the way to Indian Ocean.
PLAN won't have a rudimentary aircraft carrier before 2015 at least, and lets see what they'll put on it. J-10C ? No. J-15 ? Very troublesome since the beginning. Then what else remains ?
About N-Tejas, you are totally wrong. Indian Navy ITSELF asked for N-Tejas because it has a need and requirement for it. ADA and HAL did NOT force the Indian Navy to buy Tejas. They were busy making PV-3 when Navy came and inquired, "Hey, can you make a Naval Tejas ?"
If you still think that the Indian Navy has no use for N-Tejas, then you go argue with Admiral Nirmal Verma, who himself signed the Rs.900 crores order for the first batch of N-Tejas. You think Admiral Verma is a fool ?
Abhid, you are clutching at straws and plugging your fingers in your ears. Do you think those Navy-painted J-11s are for display only? Do you think China is going to stop J-15 simply because Russia found out they reverse-engineered them(just like they've reverse-engineered dozens of other systems over the years? In case you haven't realised this yet this is a long-standing Chinese practice).
Fact is at present the PLANAF is actually better off than the Indian navy's air arm. Right now neither of us has aircraft carriers(with Viraat in refit and neither Vikramaditya nor IAC likely to arrive before 2014) and the Indian navy has only 6-7 MiG-29Ks compared to the PLANAF's J-7s, JH-7s, Su-30MK2s and J-11s.
And now that I beat your arguments on N-Tejas you're using the Navy's decision as a shield. No, I don't consider Admiral Verma a fool. He's doing his bit to support indigenisation just like the Air Force is doing by ordering Tejas alongside the half dozen other fighter types they have(and groaning about the logistical problems of having so many aircraft types). I do not, however, think it wise to acquire it just for the sake of indeginisation. The fact remains that aside from the US no navy in the world uses more than 1 carrier-based fighter type owing to logistics limitations and the Indian Navy(at least now) does not need a smaller, shorted-ranged LCA to complement the MiG-29K.
Gautam, you are making a fundamental mistake comparing PLANAF's shore based fighters with IN's carrier based fighters. In India, only IAF operates shore based fighters, and not IN.
A correct comparison would therefore be between PLANAF's shore-based fighters with IAF's shore fighters, and between PLANAF's (non-existent) carrier fighters with IN's carrier fighters.
As I pointed out earlier, most of PLANAF consists of MUSEUM PIECES like J-7 and JH-7A. They're simply meant to keep an eye on Taiwan and disputed islands with Japan.
And for the nth time, they're NOT carrier capable and CANNOT fly to the Indian ocean. Besides, the IAF is already planning to erect a Su-30 MKI squadron in Andaman & Nicobar islands and a new airbase in Sulur, Tamil Nadu. So the PLANAF in their Non-existent carrier and non-existent carrier jets are not going to come waltzing in the Indian Ocean.
About J-15 : In 2009, Russia scolded China for illegally copying the Su-27 in to J-11. So they refused to sell them the Su-33 until all IP related issues are sorted out. It is then that PLANAF tried to build a cheap copy of an old broken down Ukranian Su-33. And called it J-15.
According to wikipedia, a Russian colonel estimates that the J-15 cannot match the Su-33, and China will be forced to come back to Russia and clear all copyright issues pertaining to the J-11 and J-15.
About N-Tejas you're simply being obstinate and there is no point in arguing any further with you on this. The N-Tejas was developed only because the Indian Navy asked for it. Because they have a specific requirement for it in terms of their warfare doctrine, and what they want from an aircraft like top speed, weapons, avionics and the ski-jump feature. They know better than you very well what they want from it.
And NO, they won't sign a cheque for Rs. 900 crores only for the sake of indigenization.
Do you know that Capt. Jaydeep Maolankar, who is the Chief Test pilot at the National Flight Test Center is also a Sea-Harrier pilot at the Navy ? He had the following words for the Tejas :-
Speaking to members of “Team Tejas” after the flight, Capt JA Maolankar who is the Chief Test pilot of the National Flight Test Centre said “For a project that has so ambitiously pushed the envelope of indigenous technology, the results have been world class in many key areas. The aircraft is a pleasure to fly and has demonstrated enviably long range legs for an aircraft so small. The induction of most of the major new technologies has been remarkably smooth and the programme boasts of an enviable safety record. Great challenges lie ahead, especially when we take this aircraft to sea in the form of the LCA (Navy)”.
So the Naval test-pilots clearly don't think it has a short range, quite contrary to what you've been saying. And for your kind info, they've even enquired about the paper-tiger Sea Gripen which is also a delta-wing single engine fighter. This FACT is also purely contrary to your foolish and unfounded opinion that delta-fighters with single engines are unsuitable for the Navy.
This the link to the news article which has Navy Capt. J Maolankar's comments on Tejas :
http://frontierindia.net/lca-tejas-crosses-1000-sorties-landmark
Thanks for distorting the content of my post to make it look like I was confused.
What made you think the Indian navy's MiG-29Ks are carrier-based right now? They are land-based just like the Chinese Su-30s and J-11s whose existence you are consistently ignoring.
And your opinion(not fact) on the J-15's failure is naive. Firstly, the Russians are obviously not going to praise a Chinses clone of their products. Quoting a Russian 'genera;l' on how great a Chinese aircraft that's still in the testing stage isn't going to earn you any credibility. If you've read about this around the net you'd know that China has, in the past decade, brought its arms industry on a level close to Russia's by reverse-engineering Russian products and further developing their technology. They've already indeginised the S-300PMU(HQ-9/11), the Su-27 Flanker(J-11) and now the Su-33(J-15). Reverse-engineering foreign hardware is something they've been doing for generations. They are NOT going to submissively 'clear all copyright issues' with Russia like Russian internet warriors proudly state. On the contrary the Russians will likely resign themselves to the fact(again) and continue selling other things to the Chinese because their arms industries need the funding.