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Both the US aircraft, Boeing’s F/A 18 Super
Hornet and Lockheed Martin’s F 16 Super Viper
on offer for Indian Air Force’s Medium Multi
Role Aircraft (MMRCA) competition lost out to
the European contenders, despite possibly being
cheaper. The loss has apparently triggered the
US Department of Defense (DoD) to review relations
with India, and in a recent report to the powerful
Senate Armed Services Committee, it has suggested
that "should India indicate interest in the
JSF, the United States would be prepared to provide
information on the JSF and its requirements (infrastructure,
security, etc.) to support India's future planning."
In fact, an indication in this perspective was
given by Lockheed Martin’s Vice President
for Business Development Orville Prins in January
2010 when he told India Strategic
that a presentation about the JSF was made to
the Indian Navy after it expressed interest in
the newer generation of aircraft for its future
carrier-based aircraft requirements. Although
weapon systems are made in the US by leading companies,
they are not authorized to even suggest sales
unless there are blessings from the State and
Defense Departments.
Why was the JSF not offered to the IAF for the
MMRCA competition?
Understandably, its capabilities, and costs,
would be much more than the projected requirements
in the MMRCA RfP (Request for Proposals) or tender,
and in any case, Washington perhaps waited for
an interest to come from New Delhi.
It may be recalled that in 2005, US had announced
a sea change in its foreign policy to assist India
to become a global power. A month before the formal
announcement in March 2005 from Washington in
fact, US arms companies had been briefed to woo
India.
I was attending the IDEX in Abu Dhabi in February
2005. At the Raytheon chalet, I mentioned that
I had the newsbreak on the deployment of its Patriot
anti-missile system in Saudi Arabia in 1990. Soon
came Maj Gen Skip Garrett, who had commanded the
Patriot units as a Colonel, and then I was introduced
to the company’s MD for Middle East Kent
Swanson and treated to lunch. Sikorsky, Lockheed
Martin and other companies had a similar welcome
while at the Boeing chalet, I was told of the
company’s interest in selling the F/A 18
Super Hornet by Ambassador Thomas Pickering,
a former envoy in New Delhi and then a member
of the Boeing board.
He had in fact just come there from Aero India
2005 in Bangalore, where he apparently made the
surprising offer to the Indian Air Force.
I was surprised at the unusual welcome accorded
to an Indian journalist, and wrote in a local
newspaper that “Something was right or wrong
and that the US was offering India AMRAAM, SLAMRAMM,
DAMN-RAMM and whatever (sic).” A week later,
back in New Delhi, the then COAS Air Chief Marshal
S P Tyagi confirmed to me the offering about the
Super Hornet. And March-end, came the formal statement
from the US State Department.
India has bought or contracted since then some
$ 10 billion worth of aircraft and systems from
the US, but there are many critical technologies
that India needs and the US has undeniably the
best of them, thanks to the billions it pours
in military R&D.
There is no hope for either the Super Hornet
or Super Viper to be back in the MMRCA race as
they have been technically disqualified due to
the lower number of points they scored than the
French Rafale and the European consortium’s
Eurofighter Typhoon.
And perhaps not much for the JSF unless the Indian
Government cancels the agreement with Russia for
the nascent Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft
(FGFA) or decides to go in for both the options,
which sounds difficult if not unlikely. The Russians
have a tremendous weakness yet in electronics
warfare systems compared to both the Americans
and Europeans, and the FGFA’s engines are
also yet to be developed. At present, the prototypes
are using Su 30’s engines.
Even with these, the cost for 148 single seat
and 48 twin seater FGFAs, now called Perspective
Multirole Fighters (PMF), is estimated to be a
huge $ 35 billion for India although with ToT
and some indigenous manufacturing capability with
tooling and initial support. Details though are
yet to be worked out.
There are unmanned aircraft, many onboard systems
and components like EW systems, combat radars
for aircraft, ships, tanks and land vehicles from
companies like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Honeywell,
Northrop Grumman, Boeing and United Technologies
that could be offered to India without strings.
Notably, irrespective of what is sold by the
US to India, the official mention of JSF for India,
even within its own system, is a powerful indicator
of the extent to which the US administration would
go in the future. It is in fact a reiteration
of the policy adopted and declared by the George
Bush administration.
For India, there is an opportunity, if the country
chooses to go forward in acquiring a quantum jump
in technologies.
There is no way that New Delhi would give up
its friendly ties with Moscow, but then Russia
has limitations.
Moscow does not have the sophistication in many
systems, it is not able to ensure near-future
or lifetime support, and has the negative capability
to go back on its own words as it did in the case
of aircraft carrier Gorshkov.
Reports emanating from Moscow already indicate
that India’s 2009 proposal to develop the
Multi-role Transport Aircraft (MTA) in cooperation
with Russian expertise is also in jeopardy with
the Russians already demanding more money and
less involvement.
India would need to balance friendship with Russia
and the latter’s inability to support India’s
modernization programmes. Russia has to accede
to its weaknesses and admit them in all fairness.
And thanks to the need to phase out the large
Soviet-vintage inventory in the Indian Army, Navy
and Air Force, India can still continue to buy
some systems from Russia and some highly sophisticated
equipment from the west, US included.
According to figures presented at a recent seminar
on acquisitions, former Secretary Defence Finance
Vinod Misra projected a figure of $ 235 billion
over the next 10 years or so.
That is more than enough if India wants to keep
every one happy, but the key has to be to build
an edge by acquiring the best for the Indian defenders.
The Indian soldier has to have the edge even in
the best; it is his own life and the security
of India that warrants this. And the edge in techno-quality
would be the only guarantee to deter a war, or
to be able to punish an aggressor effectively.
Diplomatically, relations between New Delhi and
Washington have always been uncomfortable due
to the latter's aggressive foreign policy, and
perhaps would continue to be so. But there is
a convergence of interests now, and the two countries
need to support each other in maintaining a peaceful
and stable South and West Asia. US has already
removed most of the restrictions on sharing technologies
which India needs for military modernisation.
Let the armed forces decide what is the best,
and so be it. If the Indian Air Force and Navy
think that an aircraft like the JSF can give an
edge, or if there are other systems of interest,
then the Government should give it serious consideration.
But the MMRCA programme should move ahead as
in any case, IAF would need varying tiers of technology
in various systems.
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