India’s Skies Set to Soar: Government Eyes 150-Aircraft Deal
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Shreya Naskar- 0
- 7 minutes read
Defense is one of the prime focuses of the Indian government right now. With the ever-existing conflict between Pakistan and China, now India has gained another diplomatic enemy at present i.e. Bangladesh. With every passing day, the diplomatic tie between the two nations is not at all stable. With the starting process of fencing all the land borders between India and Bangladesh, the interim government of Bangladesh does not seem to be happy, the 4,090 km border needs to be fenced in order to ensure security and piece but, every other day, the BGB (Bangladesh Border Guard) has been creating problems in the ongoing fencing. Till now, the situation is under control.
With all these threats from the neighboring nations, India may soon sign a deal of buying around 150 fighter aircrafts. If taken into consideration, this will the biggest defense deal to be signed by any nation after the 2nd World War. But from whom and when?
There are a number of aircrafts which may be considered by the Indian government at present:
F Series, F21: By Lockheed Martin of the US: 4.5th Gen, new collaboration with Indian Company (TATA), Single engine, multirole fighter jet with avionics and a modular design. As per press release of Lockheed Martin, would be made of specific design specially for the Indian Air Force. Prototype will be displayed in Bangalore Air show in February, 2025.
Gripen E/F: By SAAB AB, Sweden: 4.5 Gen, single engine. Can be ready within 3 years. France would even create a whole ecosystem in India itself for the manufacturing process. 1 unit of Gripen E/F may cost around 850 Cores in Indian rupees. Some f the many pros of Gripen E/F, are: 16*800 m runway to operate, Max 10 min required to make it combat ready, can land and take off from normal high or sub-highways, maintenance time: 3-4hrs meaning approximately 20hrs operational time, all maintenance equipment can be carried in a 20m truck only.
F22 Raptor, Raptor F35: By Lockheed Martin of the US: 5th Gen, Double engine, Stealth fighter. These are highly expensive, 15-18hrs maintenance time, if India is to buy 100 aircrafts from USA, 60-70 percent would always be grounded. USA might not agree with the terms of manufacturing these fighter jets in India.
In comparison to SUKHOI SU57: By Russia, Russia may agree to manufacture these in India. As per the war situation, in which Russia is engaged, it may be difficult for Russia to sign the deal.
Fa-18 Super Hornet: By Lockheed Martin of the US, 4.5 Gen, costs around 550 crores in Indian Rupees.
India has been using missile system from Russian platform, SU57 might be more suitable according to the needs of the Indian defense.
But, considering the advantages of signing aircraft deal with the US, S-400 missile defense system would require for specific modifications, which may not be approved by Putin (Russia). India has a very bad experience with Russia in terms of defense deal relating to INS Vikramaditya delivery which took then 11 years in place of 3 years and at a cost increased by three times.
On the other hand, the recent F-35 engine failure during a fly, though noting happened to the pilot, raised questions regarding its efficiency with a cost of around 73 crores in Indian Rupees, may not be a good consideration keeping the cost in mind and the tax amount paid by the Indian citizens in such high inflation.
Pakistani Senior Air Force officers recently visited Qatar to attend their Qatar Airforce program, tested some of the high-class aircrafts of the Qatar Air Force such as Rafale which is used by India.
China operates 2 types of 5th Generation fighter aircrafts: Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang J-35. And has already created a prototype of its 6th Gen fighter jet Chengdu J 36, China may as well gift 5th generation aircrafts to Pakistan to keep India under pressure.
As of January, 2025, India’s 5th generation fighter jet, The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is currently in the early stages of development and the prototype may be ready by 2028. Mass production aiming for a 2035 date.
Rafale is the best consideration for Indian Air Force. As per reports, the Indian air force may get into a joint venture of manufacturing these aircrafts in India and not in France. At present the strategical partnership between India and the USA is fine, may not be when the next president is elected.
Its high time now for India, India should consider such a fighter jet which is not present at any of its neighboring nations. Keeping all the cost related and geo-political perspective, strategical relations with Russia and USA in mind. India needs to choose the best suited Aircraft for its defense. With time people will get to see the decision taken by the Indian government, keeping all the rising challenges into consideration.
