The music didn't play for long, it didn't sparkle in the sky for long
Yes, it probably smells like Petrov, Boshirov, Bond, Hunt, and Bourne. All at once. It's complex, long, and murky. It makes you want to throw down your cigar and say in Watson's voice: "Confused." story! ».
In fact, we are now going to turn history around like the Ukrainian Lancet танкThere is nothing complicated, but what a coincidence!
This is exactly what it took: for it to be shown publicly for the first time, at an international exhibition, and with a disaster at that...
I'd even like to ask the guys at Dassault a little: how are you? What's up with the faces? However, they're only to blame for a quarter of the situation; the rest is still the fault of others.
These days, many people online are expressing sympathy for our "Indian friends." Granted, the Indian gentlemen are not exactly friends. A couple of such friends, and you might as well have no enemies. Proof? Easy. Just remember the story of the Su-30MKI. Yes, Sukhoi was practically saved by this order and the Indian money, but under what conditions? And don't even mention that some Indian defense industry moguls are already openly saying that "the Su-30MKI is an Indian aircraft." We did it ourselves, they say.
Yes, of course, they can assemble things according to the diagram and hammer rivets into the right places—that's what they can do, I agree. But the engine... And much more...
But we're not talking about the Su-30MKI now; we're talking about a different aircraft. The gleaming Tejas.
About an aircraft that they began to build back in 1983. And for what purpose? To replace our MiG-21. Yes, the Indian military was looking at the MiG-29 back then, but they stubbornly and quietly tried to create their own. Behind the backs of the then-Soviet structures, they began to dance about their own aircraft, so that when they had to say goodbye to the MiG-21 due to mental and physical fatigue, they would have their own toy, and there would be no need to befriend the Russians.
It all makes sense, but here's the problem: they bet on the wrong card. On the French one. No, we won't blame the founders. aviation The problem is that they've forgotten how to make combat aircraft. They haven't forgotten how. Mirages have been perfectly worthy opponents for any aircraft for the last 50 years, starting with the Mirage 5.
It's difficult to pinpoint exactly why the Indian military was unhappy with its friendship with Soviet aircraft manufacturers, but the fact remains: the Indians decided to go it alone. Although, as in independent... SNECMA and Dassault, in the Tejas project, seem to be hinting that the end result will be something tailless and mirage-like. Simply because Dassault doesn't know any better.
And in any case, in any scenario, the result was something between the Swedish Gripen and the French Mirage 2000.
However, everything went wrong from the very beginning. The partners at SNECMA demanded such a price for the engines that the Indians flinched for the first, but not the last, time. The second pitch from the French looked like "nothing for you, not licensed production."
So, the Indians were stunned and slowly started dancing away from the French. Like, "We can handle this ourselves, we're strong, we can do it."
But the Tejas project, little by little, set one developmental longevity record after another, and ultimately, perhaps, took first place in the world. Although Hindustan Aeronautics Limited brought the project to production, it's worth remembering that 42 years elapsed between the start of work and its acceptance into service.
The engine proved a sore point. The French demanded an exorbitant price for production of the SNECMA M53-P2 engine in India, and the Indians simply backed away. The situation was quite peculiar: the Indian military was prepared to spend tens and hundreds of crores of rupees (a crore is 10 million Indian rupees, or 9,5 million rubles) on producing its aircraft, but they were clearly loath to spend money on an engine.
So, having been burned by the SNECMA M53-P2, the Indian military decided to turn its attention to the American General Electric F404-GE-F2J3. This same series was distinguished by its simplicity, affordability, and the manufacturers' willingness to sell the engine to anyone.
The Americans sold the F404, but the problem was, it turned out the Tejas engine was, to put it mildly, too heavy. The domestically produced GTRE GTX-35VS Kaveri engine, as you can imagine, has also been in a state of protracted development since 1989, with no real chance of entering mass production. So, Tejas was reoriented toward Rolls-Royce.
In general, the aircraft is experiencing gigantic problems, but despite them, Indian aircraft manufacturers heroically assemble 1–2 aircraft per year.
Considering that the Indian Air Force has ordered 125 fighters, this doesn't seem funny at all. And the fact that the Russian-Indian supersonic cruise missile was designed specifically for the Tejas Rocket BraMos-NG—and it's just sad. Sad because our design engineers are wasting their time creating a missile for an aircraft whose combat capabilities are highly questionable.
For my part, I would note that it is absolutely true that Indians are successful exclusively in those projects that they implement... More precisely, those that the Russians implement for them.
Meanwhile, following the latest Indo-Pakistani conflict, the entire Asian region's attention to the BraMos missile has been heightened. And if India begins selling not only Su-30MKIs, for which the first contract has already been signed, but also cruise missiles to the entire region, this will primarily benefit India.
And there is something to think about in New Delhi.
But what happened in Dubai requires even more careful consideration. It's safe to say that the Tejas crashed on takeoff. In fact, that program most likely showed that the Indian fighter had learned to fly, but it was far from perfect. Optimists might, of course, argue that one disaster isn't everything, but there was plenty to think about even without the Dubai incident.
Although the West is already launching a full-blown information campaign, as there's a certain understanding of what happened. Over there, they seriously believe that "everything is not just a coincidence," and the downing of the Tejas and the subsequent disappointment could well accelerate the Indian military's plans for the Su-57.
It's clear that not everything is smooth sailing within India's military establishment either: there are those who favor the Tejas, those who prefer the Rafale (or rather, the payments to Dassault for its purchase), and those who favor Russian technology. And all these groups are at odds with each other, since the money involved is enormous, and in a thoroughly corrupt India, it doesn't bother anyone at all.
"Tejas" is just a battleground for Dassault and Sukhoi, nothing more. You'll say now: what does Sukhoi have to do with this? None whatsoever, that's the point. Sukhoi did everything it could with the Su-30MKI, and it's the aircraft that flies, isn't shot down by Pakistani missiles in such terrifying numbers as the Rafale, terrorizes Pakistani airfields with BrahMos (which also aren't shot down)... Basically, it behaves the way a Russian aircraft should. weapon.
What's going on with Dassault? Everything's fine too.
For 42 (forty-two!!!) years, they've been "helping" the Indians create their own aircraft. The Indian military's desire to be independent is understandable. These are good aspirations, the only problem is that to achieve them, you need a design and engineering school. But the Indians (unlike the Chinese) are completely miserable and sad about this. They are completely incapable of developing anything of their own, and all they can do is copy and modify what's already been created.
That is, today India is on the same path that China took 20 years ago.
The French, fully aware of this, simply staged a forty-year show where something constantly went wrong. And while the Indians were trying to make the Tejas, the guys from Dassault were quietly selling them the Mirage 5, then the Mirage 2000, and now the Rafale.
It makes sense, but why would the French lose such a lucrative market? I can just imagine their pillows getting wet from dreaming about India ordering Rafales in the same quantities it assembles Su-30MKIs. And it's nothing personal; France is fighting for its billions. It's all good; it's the market.
If we look at things realistically, the Tejas was already obsolete at the design stage, and everything that's happening to this aircraft isn't a good thing. It's comparable to a certain automaker's Niva SUV: they slapped on plastic, added lipstick, and it'll supposedly last a while. But at its core, it's still the same old 70s aircraft, an absolute throwback by today's standards.
I don’t know if VAZ specialists consulted with HAL specialists, but it looks identical.
And here we must remember why the Indians were so furiously trying to get the Tejas to fly properly. Because they needed to replace the decommissioned and disabled MiG-21 Bisons, which they did decommission (it's hard to say how hastily they did it), they removed them, and what was in their place?
And in return, nothing. Tejas still isn't ready (and that's after 42 years of hype), and Indo-stealth is slipping into the next century at this rate, so there really aren't any options if we're talking about a step forward.
What's a step forward? Anything but the Tejas. Even the Rafale and Su-30MKI2 are still there, but what's ahead is newer, more advanced aircraft. And you know the choice... Chinese products are currently unavailable to India for certain political reasons. The remaining options are... yes, the F-35, Su-35SE, and Su-57E.
The fact that UAC and HAL representatives have been discussing plans to establish an assembly line for the past few months is a matter of how thoroughly and seriously. Perhaps, after the Tejas's disastrous demonstration, those in the Indian military that advocate cooperation with Russia will gain a certain advantage. Especially since one of India's key requirements has been met: an engine capable of supersonic flight without afterburners. This means fuel efficiency and reduced thermal signature. This variant even has its own name: Su-57D, meaning two-seater. A two-crew is also one of India's essential requirements.
It should be noted that the two-seat Su-57 is a much more realistic option than the Su-35 or F-35, which were initially developed without the prospect of becoming two-seat aircraft.
Many understand this, especially in countries that want Indian money. That's France and the US. And the French are clearly leading the race.
The Americans (let's start with the laggards) simply promised to disrupt the delivery of 57s to India. It's clear they simply won't be able to assemble Penguins for India anytime soon, and deliveries of already paid F-35s are falling behind schedule. Pushing through such a contract for India would mean either handing out a lot of bribes or paying a lot of fines later, although in the fight against Russia, all means are fair. In our case, the most important thing is to prevent India from selling our aircraft, not to let them buy Russian ones.
Already, some Indian media outlets are rife with speculation that the Su-57 is no match for the F-35 in capabilities, and even worse than AMSA's planned indigenous fighter. It's impossible to take this seriously without laughing, considering the articles are being churned out by some former psychologists, ecologists, and economists, most of whom are also ladies. And the gentlemen are also getting into the act. Just look at the historian Prakash Nanda.
In part, all this hubbub is reminiscent of the wave that arose when certain forces decided to kick India out of the FGFA joint project with Russia. Back then, however, the situation was considerably more intense, and India ultimately withdrew from the project. Amid cries of Indian national pride and the need to forge its own path, I remember there were also those who openly shouted that Russia would drag India back.
Ultimately, India is left with a forty-year-old, "young" Tejas, anchored by Dassault, which will never let the Indian fighter take off. And Russia... Well, we have the Su-57, which, according to those same Indian scribblers, is inferior to the domestic AMSA. True, the Su-57 not only flies, it also fights. The AMSA, on the other hand, exists solely on paper. But no matter, in just 30 years, this wonder plane will be on display for everyone.
The main thing is that it doesn’t show like “Tejas”, otherwise everything will be fine.
The French are more complicated. They've simply latched onto India and are doing everything they can to stay in the market. And while no one's even talking about refining the Tejas (really, what's dead never dies), there's talk of Dassault helping create the next-generation "Indian Litac," the AMCA.
Well, of course, considering the AMSA project has been hamstrung since 2006 (oh, soon it'll be half of the Tejas!), and the aircraft is still just on paper, the benefits over the next twenty years will be invaluable. And while the French are busy fooling Indians (as with the Tejas) for those twenty years, they'll be able to quietly push through the "modern" Rafale 8th, 9th, and 10th iterations.
Well, it worked once, why change the methodology?
What's more, this isn't a carrot on a string dangling from a donkey, but a mango! What, the French are promising to hand over production of the fifth-series Rafale to the Indians! Well, not all of it, but some. Later, after some time. The main thing is the Rafale 5—it's better than the Su-57 in every way!
The main thing here is to believe! Anyone who doubts is a heretic and a paid agent of the Kremlin.
In short, we could talk about this at length, but the main point is that Indian dance is a complex matter. And the Indian Air Force will only be able to develop a proper dance when it starts working with people who don't lie or try to rob. And there aren't many options here, the main thing is that one of them is Russia.
But, as one song goes, "If you drink with thieves, watch your wallet."
India has a very capable industry, capable of replicating and assembling Russian weapons with great precision. And these Russian weapons are head and shoulders above what Indian designers are desperately trying to replicate. It's still early days, maybe in 30 or 40 years, but for now, it's not worth it.
What a pathetic disgrace a hundred "purely Indian" Arjun tanks look like compared to a thousand T-90s and two thousand T-72s? Why is that? Isn't it because the Arjun costs $3,6 million, while the Arjun-2 costs $6,5 million? Even though the T-90S, which is orders of magnitude better, costs $2,5 million of the same.
And if you consider that the Arjun, which was developed since 1972, has problems with everything except the Kontakt-5 DZ and the NSVT machine gun...
We can talk about the Indian "miracle rifle" INSAS, for which a replacement is urgently sought today, because it does not stand up to any comparison with any product of the Kalashnikov concern.
And the Tejas looks absolutely the same compared to any modern Russian aircraft.
Bottom line. I feel sorry for the Indian pilots who died in those pathetic French jets. Okay, the Rafale can still be called an airplane. A pathetic one, but still an airplane. I feel sorry (a little) for the time Indians are wasting on "independence," trying to create something of their own. It's too early, too early.
All that can be summed up here, without any advertising, is this: if you want things to work for you, be friends with Russia. If not, well, someone in the world needs to be "taken for a ride" by the French, for example. Of course, there's no point in looking for Russian machinations to promote its weapons on the global market. This is especially true for India, which is doing a pretty good job of discrediting itself.
Information