Why India’s Tejas MK-2 might have Israel’s Lavi fate due American lobbying!

Why India’s Tejas MK-2 might have Israel’s Lavi fate due American lobbying!
Published October 3, 2017 SOURCE: MANJUNATH REDDDY/ FOR MY TAKE / IDRW.ORG



Exactly 30 years ago, in last week of September month of 1987, Israeli Cabinet voted to halt development of the Lavi fighter jet, which was to be Israel’s which was to be Israel’s main advanced combat aircraft for the 1990’s.

Program was canceled as a result of pressure from the Reagan Administration and instead, Israel went on to purchase 90 less-expensive American-made F-16 fighters were brought instead which will follow on contracts expanded to 200 units over the years but lead to Lavi once dubbed as most advanced 4th generation fighter jet ever developed went to scrapyard instead of production line and how Tejas MK-2 might see repeat of Israel’s Lavi fate due powerful American lobbying.

Lavi fighter jet was developed from American military aid and technology and when the program started generating lot of buzz around, leading to making countries making a beeline to inquire about the product US Defence lobby saw it has a threat to American-made F-16 fighter aircraft in export market and under Amercian pressure Israel was first made to agree that Lavi will not be exported ever and once that was secured US Defence lobby went into counter-offensive .

To accommodate F-16s in Israeli air force fleet, the requirement for Lavi dropped from initial internal assessment from 200 units to 120 units and later hovered around only 80 units. With Production order for only 80 units and no export guarantees given to American administration meant that the aircraft was more expensive than the F-16 on offer.

Many in Israeli air force and the government started opposing Lavi fighter jet due to rising cost but kept ignoring commitments made by state-owned Israel Aircraft Industries which had promised that prices will fall once the original indented order was restored for 120-200 units.

But Lavi fighter program also saw support withing Israeli air force but people were divided due to large-scale anti program propaganda unleashed by Israeli media on behalf of the American administration and the final nail came when a year before Reagan Administration threatened to reduce annual United States military assistance to Israel if the Lavi fighter program was not canceled and if they do then military assistance will be increased .

India’s Tejas MK-2 lacks any order commitment from Indian Air force and Indian Navy which means unless program gets massive bulk production orders for 120+ jets, project might be declared un-economical, Yet it is unlikely Tejas MK-2 with firm order of more than 120+ units will be costing more than American F-16 Block 70 which will be Made in India, but a reduced order or no order at all and easy availability of F-16 Block 70 in India might create pressure on Indian government to abandon the project altogether and focus only on India’s 5th Generation AMCA project .

American Defence lobby will see India’s Tejas MK-2 program has a threat to its F-16 and F-18 chances in India not due to technological aspect but due to India’s limited budget set for IAF’s modernization and procurement over next twenty years. American administration along with subcontractors can create pressure on Indian government to support them with more military orders even though they are not so keen on the transfer of technology to India.

http://idrw.org/why-indias-tejas-mk-2-might-have-israels-lavi-fate-due-american-lobbying/ .

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The process is underway now.

Give it a slow death which will make people mentally accept it rather than overnight cancellation like Naval Tejas.

Its time to stop jeopardising India's national security and restart air force modernisation.

 

Ok, i'm sold with the headline itself. First good article and fresh POV from IDRW.

 

No.. it’s ok. Killing it right away is better than a long winded one. Will be barrage of articles, negativity, blot on people’s professional record etc.

I vote for killing it right away.

After all, Indian products are not good like the phoren maal. I mean, the babus and ofsars can go on international trips. Who wants to travel in India.

Yuck.

 

Important to kill this experiment slowly so entire blame lies with the real villans of ADA/HAL/DRDO along with the past directors/respective team leads/scientists and engineers all of whom are going to be victimised, defamed and discredited thoroughly

 

Hahahahahaha. This post shows how little you know about these organizations.

No one will be blamed. Not a single post will be eradicated. No one will loose their jobs. Nobody will be held responsible.

Anyways... the real villains are always in the government. INC or BJP, public money is one big bucket where all of them scoop out of.

 

Probably the first irdw/mytake article,I actually agree with......

 

I know for a fact that MKII program will be terminated/killed. The bigger culprit will be IAF whose ambitions on the project requirements and its lack of commitments. I know a lot of members are over-enthusiastic over tejas, so am I; but its still runs on fuel than saliva. Second in command I mean culprit is Government of the days. 1998 pokharan didn't help with the sanctions or neither did selection of rafale. Moreover, ADA and HAL are freely roaming with no accountability or deadlines to follow. I am not blaming HAL or other institution as they work like the other government entities.

This brings me to two points:

1. India needs F16: F16 is the only aircraft that can bring over expertise and the most transfer of technology with it. No, Gripen does not, neither does F/a-18's. F16's in Knock down kits is a complete no and so is any restraint over the technology. india can make a newer tech specified variant that will be owned, managed and royalty earning for Indian government for all the midlife upgrades.
2. India will have a fully operational indigenous Multirole fighter: With the Mk1A in development and testing, MK2 looks to be fart in the future and by the time comes It will not fit the requirements. But if its not MK2 then AMCA but India's outlook has changed from Buying off the shelf to make in india, to designed in India with production.

In the end, The current form of tejas is all but thanks to IAF. I am happy Mr. Modi shoved 80 aircrafts down IAF's throat.

 

A small correction here. Modi didn't shove anything down IAF's throat. The LCA Mk1A was chosen due to its own merits.

 

BS article. The two jets aren't even in the same class.

 

Agreed.

1 is a Light Combat Aircraft with 5th gen avionics and semi stealth avionics with decades of proven combat experience across the world in all terrains with a world beating SABR AESA radar.

The other is a transport, vintage gunless airframe designed on the Mirage 3.

 

The 83 Mk1A (not designed) are meant to humiliate and ruin reputation of HAL as they cannot deliver these 83 apart from the 40 Mk1's already ordered and paid for 15 years ago.

Another way to demonstrate HAL's pathetic capability to publically and mentally numb everyone when the sour medicine of cancellation is digested

 

you aren't very good with this stuff are you? Anyway no matter what kinds of shortfalls the LCA has it will never come close to the flying junk that JF 17 is. I mean that is pure garbage. LCA is more than enough to take them on, don't you?

 

It's all in the perspective. As for the argument, MK1 did not meet the requirements hence MK1A. Also, MK2 is not ready (the only variant IAF wanted to order) hence Mk1A. PM Modi will not give in to IAF's demand of more Rafale hence MK1A. It's all in the perspective.

 

The IAF has no need for Mk2. Mk1 was so bad that the IAF simply latched on to the chance that the navy created for them. And new generation electronics will make Mk1A better than the Mk2.

Mk2 was thought up when the technology level was too low for Mk1 to be able to accomplish all tasks and that's changing.