https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...gs-retirement-parade/articleshow/67633685.cms
The Indian Air Force’s wait for new fighter jets to replace an ageing MiG fleet is set to get longer. The selection process to identify combat aircraft to be made in India is unlikely to commence before the general elections this year, high-level sources indicate.
The biggest decision to be made by the Air Force is on the qualitative requirements – a set of performance and maintenance parameters – that will determine how many of the competitors even make the cut to the next level for validation trials.
sources said that unlike in case of the competition for 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft, the Air Force does not plan to carry out extensive field trials that could take up to two years. Instead, certain parameters would be individually assessed, most likely in the host nation of the jets on offer.
The Air Force, meanwhile, continues to grapple with a serious shortage of combat aircraft. The 36 Rafale jets which have been ordered would barely make up for the number of MiG jets that are retiring in the coming months.
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https://indianexpress.com/article/e...ter-jets-and-what-it-can-do-about-it-5553948/
"The IAF is looking at a scenario where it will have to undertake emergency imports — perhaps at an exorbitant cost — to make up the numbers. "
"Among the global military powers, India is perhaps the only country which doesn’t produce top quality fighter jets indigenously. The US, Russia, and the European powers, all have highly developed defence industries that can design, develop, produce, and supply fighter jets to their air forces "