Are you aware of the OPEX of 5th Gen FA ? You can probably maintain 5 squadrons of 4.5 Gen FA at the cost of maintaining 1 squadron of 5th Gen FA.
What ? Who says the J-20 has got the FOC ? They've been fitted with the WS-15 TF just a couple of years back much like the Su-57 was equipped with the Izdeliye 30 TFs . It's still being tested with these new TFs.
Chinks gave it foc in 2021.
Foc is full operational clearance, means it can do every operations It was designed to do, even with worse engine.
The ws15 is more of a engine upgrade.
It's like saying su30mki is not foc certified because it uses older worse al31 engine instead of newer al41.
We need a 5th Gen Air Superiority & Air Strike FA. Right now the Rafale fits the bill
Su 57 is a 5th gen multirole( air Superiority and stRike) rafale is at most 4.5+ gen, it doesn't fit the bill of 5th gen air Superiority and strike fighter, su57 is better than it in both roles in its current configuration.
And I'd trust the IAF on their judgement for they've plenty of experience in dealing with the Russians , know what the Su-57 is capable of & also the Rafales.
If IAF genuinely beleifs rafale is better than su57 as a fighter jet, then airforce is fucked beyond saving.
There you go again. The Virupaksha is still under testing. The Super Sukhoi upgrades is expected to begin in 2030-32 & go on for 8 years for only 80 odd FAs .
And you're proposing we fit in the Virupaksha onto the Su-57 when we don't even know whether what the Russians have fitted in is good enough for the job or whether they'd agree to us fitting in the Virupaksha.
What you're proposing is the MKI ization of the Su-57 which as I've pointed out in my previous post will be once the VKS has certified the Su-57 FOC which should be closer to 2030 & then we'd get into the act assuming we're interested with the entire process taking us a good 10 years if not more.
If time is that much of the essence then we can just buy the current varient as it is, the current varient with al41 is already better than Rafale
Also rafale also doesn't have foc by that logic as rafale F5 is under development will only start delivery beyond 2030+, rafale is work in progress.
That's how dumb that foc argument is.
Current f4 varient of rafale is not capable of loyal wingman operations, f5 varient will be, su57 currently is capable of it( tho Russian okhotnic wingman is not)
So what dates are you proposing for FOC for the Su-57 which got the Izdeliye 30 only around 2023 ?
Don't know, tho I'm fine with current varient of su57 too Over rafale.
Tho I do propose foc of rafale to be granted beyond 2030+ when f5 varient will finally come, currently rafale is work in progress, as you said before we shouldn't get a not fully developed jet

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I doubt we're at the stage wherein which we need ToT from the Russians whereas we definitely need mfg ToT from the French coz our R&D has reached at least European standards or is within sniffing distance of them .
The LCA Mk-2 will see a lot of tech which the Rafales we've gotten has which is F3R standards & is definitely more advanced than its counterpart the J-39 Gripen E.
What you're referring to may have been true in the late 2000s when we signed the JV with Russia for joint development of the Su-57 / FGFA.
Russians have a working 5th gen, least stealthy of 5th gen but still a working and in production 5th gen with full multirole capabilities, we do not.
We have made leaps in progress and match Russia in lot and surpass them in few areas, but we're not ahead of russia in fighter jets.
That's the reality.
European standards? What standard?
You need to fucking understand the "latest "stuff of russia is not lower standard in terms of quality than Europeans,
Russian latest stuff is "technological" inferior to americans, but neither technological or qualitatively inferior to Europeans, older Russian stuff definitely is lower quality and russia uses lots of older stuff and relatively less latest stuff in service, but latest stuff qualitatively matches europe, just like rest of the world if you continue to put money in development quality improve, it's not some western magic.
don't think you understand the emphasis on time & the fact that this particular requirement is ONLY a China specific requirement that I'm stressing. Our war with China will be over this time in 2035 one way or another.
In that case just buying the current varient of su57 should be faster as unlike rafale whose order books are full, su57 is waiting for orders.
All these pie in the skies we're discussing here & the IAF is discussing with the MoD is of little use if the FAs we're thinking of procuring won't arrive within 3 years and the only FA which fits the bill as of today is the Rafale.
Rafale f4 ain't coming in 3 years, the only way for it to come is for production line to set up in india as production is full, plus it's work in progress F5 varient is in development, it will get foc in 2030+ when rafale f5 is developed, we will be buying a wip aircraft

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With su57 with al41 we can get initial lot directly from Russia with 3 years while domestic production lines are being set up, maybe if al51 I operationalised later varients could be fitted with it.
Dassault can STILL accommodate us if we move fast
Russia "will easily" accommodate us.