IAF selected F404-IN20 because it is only variant fitted in that space and have thrust around 84KN. Unless and until getting bigger order no company will gave the order of engines. According to US, Supply issue is because of Russia and Ukraine war. For whole lifecycle of Jet it atleast need 2-3 engines. But all of them can't order together. According to contract engines delivery should start from January or some of even before that. But how many engines has delivered till now?
For TEDBF, Fund has not released so it is still on paper and not even went to design phase. ORCA is nothing but same as TEDBF except Navi landing gear and sensors. Without funding and confirm order no company start working on it. HAL is not R&D partner but only production partner so their role is not exist in initial phase.
MRFA is needed, I have agreed on it. But most possibility of selection of Rafale will cost around 30 bl$ for 114 Jet. Whether this is economical when we see the budget allocation? Once MRFA order given then other all indigenous jet program will never materialized. Our defense budget is not 150 bln $. We have other requirement also like submarine, AC, FRCV and many more.
For Tejas, HAL is just integrator. Most of the component has outsourced and developed by private companies. Now don't start blaming them also. Apart from HAL no company have experience in developing fighter Jets. Neither company willing to pour money in R&D. In AMCA, We have experiencing these things. So AMCA project will also go to HAL.
Private companies only look for easy money and profit. Whether they can bear frequent changes demand from IAF ? Can conduct and provide excessive testing platform? Answer is "No". they can only look for ToT from OEM and assemble the component as a joint partner.
1. I did mention that part of the delay is due to supply chain disruptions courtesy of present conflicts.
2. The first two batches of engines, ordered earlier on, was delivered. Even for jets using these engines, deliveries eere extremely delayed. It was the large order in August 2021 that has been delayed. When you consider just when the present wars began, you can see why that is the case.
3. I also mentioned that one assumes funding for TEDBF will be sanctioned in the future. The best case scenario (which I used to illustrate the best possible situation) is for funds to be sanctioned by March, though a more likely timeline is late 2025 or early 2026, once the type completes the CDR.
4. If you think the Rafale is too expensive, show me a comparable aircraft that costs less. I am not trying to be a Dassault salesman, but we need to reach a decision on MRFA quickly rather than twiddling our thumbs.
5. HAL is the lead integrator. That also means they shoulder most of the blame for delays. As the integrator, it is part of their responsibilities to ensure suppliers can deliver on time. When the F-15 or F-35 gets delayed, it is Boeing or LM that is blamed, not the individual component manufacturer.
6. Private companies are going to be motivated by profit. That is just how private enterprise works. However, as we are seeing, they are alap willing to invest money as long as they see some good return from it. The government can invest large amounts, and even if it doesn't pay off, it's fine. Private companies cannot do that. Give them some hope of getting their money back and making some profit, and they will invest. Just look at Kalyani. They have invested a fair bit of money becaude they are seeing some returns from it. Similarly, Tata has invested (in assembling for now, but they too have offered to invest more). There are many such examples.
