IAF Need 100 Su-57, 100 AMCA and 200 Rafales to Challenge China's 300 J-20 Stealth Fighters

India's air power capabilities are facing a critical challenge in the face of China's growing military might. According to senior journalist Vishnu Som, India needs to make significant investments to achieve parity with China or risk facing a precarious security situation.

China's possession of nearly 300 J-20 stealth fighters underscores the urgency of India's situation. The acquisition of 50 additional Rafales, while a valuable addition, would not be sufficient to neutralize this threat. A comprehensive and aggressive approach is needed to bolster India's air power.

Key Strategies to Address the Challenge​

• Immediate Acquisition of Su-57 Fighters: India should consider purchasing 100 Su-57 fighters, provided they meet the advertised performance standards. These advanced stealth fighters could provide a significant deterrent against Chinese air power.
• Accelerated Development of AMCA: The development of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) should be a national priority. India needs at least 100 AMCA jets, with the initial iterations meeting a minimum acceptable technology threshold.
• Expansion of Rafale Fleet: The Indian Air Force should acquire 200 Rafales to replace its aging fleet of MiG, Mirage 2000, and Jaguar aircraft. These fighters would serve as the primary heavy-hitters in India's air power arsenal.
• Modernization of Su-30 Fleet: The Su-30 fleet should be stabilized at 80 highly upgraded fighters. These aircraft could be used for heavy standoff weapons, as mini AWACS, and as standoff jammers.
• Production of Tejas Mk2: India should invest in and speed up the manufacture of Tejas Mk2 fighters to strengthen its low-end air power spectrum. A fleet of 50-60 Tejas Mk2 fighters could provide valuable capabilities.

Challenges and the Way Forward​

Implementing these strategies would require substantial financial resources and political will. India would need to allocate significant funds to defence, which could impact other sectors of the economy. Additionally, there may be challenges in acquiring the necessary technology and expertise to develop and manufacture advanced fighters.

The decision of how to address India's air power dilemma will depend on a careful assessment of the risks and benefits. While the cost may be significant, the consequences of failing to invest in air power could be even more severe. India must take decisive action to ensure its security in the face of growing regional challenges.

 

[Dredd]

Dou mean Israels Fighter jets are performing good,But still Israel war is on on on & on

because israel is performing precision strike, If israel wanted to finish or convert gaza to ruble like russia is doing then it would have done it last year itself.

 

[Rinku Pandey]

Let Mr. Som also come up with the idea on just where we should get the money for 100 Su-57s and 200 Rafales from.

I mean, if only giving proposals is enough, here's mine: Acquire 200 Su-57s, 500 aircraft under MRFA, increase Tejas Mk 1A and Mk 2 production to 50 aircraft a year and place orders for 1,000 aircraft there. Also ensure AMCA is ready next year and get 1,000 of those as well. Moreover, let's get 5,000 tanks better than the Abrams and K2 to immediate retire the T-72s and T-90s for the Army. Also, let's scale up our Armed Forces by a factor of 2 and complete the modernisation tomorrow.

Sirf proposal dene se ho jaata hai to yeh raha mera proposal. Let Mr. Som ensure it is done OTIF.

Absolutely. Poor country like India can't afford 120 Rafales and he is talking over 400 fighters.

 

[Harsh]

yes I always said Bharat may Buy atleast 2 to 3 sqad of Su-57 in Future

First Russia needs to win the Ukee war. Then it needs to demonstrate that it is not afraid of China to provide stealth fighters to its adversary. Doesn't look likely at this point.

 

[Double Tap]

Those 300 J-20 are much inferior based on copied technology. These will all go to the South China front, where they face the American/Taiwan might. Only a few will end up in Himalayas where taking off with full load fuel or bombs is not possible from 5,000 feet airfields.

keep the delusions going

 

[Harsh]

India is not a martial state. It has to cry cow and ahimsa before it can pick up a gun. It would be nice if PM/VM can come up with a pocket change of about rupees 1T to acquire all the needed toys.

 

[Bharat007]

All those plans may be on table but what about time factor? China already have 200s of J-20, that too when IAF Sq. has lost half of its strength. Question is, how we will get comparable fighter jet as soon as possible or within short time to fill this gap? Answer is no. Purchase of 200 Rafales will drain our treasury. We have lost crucial time.

 

[Sumon Roy]

Su 57 is best option because it is capable to carry Brahmos NG. Rafale is very costly.

 

[Sos]

The biggest force multiplier is more AWACS we don't even have as many as Pakistan does this can be done relatively quickly. Tankers for air to air refueling is another quick item to get we have 6 that is not enough. Don't buy Russian aircraft enough said we have seen their performance in Ukraine. Get more Rafael's a flee of those or F15-EX would be a great air superiority fighter jets.

Awacs are not immediate necessity for india

pakistan does not have planes with proven radars and electronic warfare system so they rely on awacs
India has heavily invested in su30mki which can perform as mini Awacs
indias current priority is to improve Anti submarine capabalities to defend against China's large submarine fleet and pak navy backbone(as they have limited large surface ships like destroyers and frigates in )

 

[Indian1]

The biggest force multiplier is more AWACS we don't even have as many as Pakistan does this can be done relatively quickly. Tankers for air to air refueling is another quick item to get we have 6 that is not enough. Don't buy Russian aircraft enough said we have seen their performance in Ukraine. Get more Rafael's a flee of those or F15-EX would be a great air superiority fighter jets.

Rafales are over priced and over hyped. Su 57 will be cheaper and better than rafales. Buying more rafales will lead India to bankruptcy.

 

[dhiraj Raja]

First India should fast track purchase of 114 aircraft tender which will take minimum of 6/7 years to come in lots after order is placed after that we can think of purchasing S 57 or F35 etc from Ukraine war it is clear we need to develope missiles with 500 to 1000 km range & should have more air defence system in place as it is not easy to dominate air space even with 2nd largest airforce as Russia is experiencing

 

[Kira]

Su-57 - No chance due to a variety of issues.
AMCA - Yeah,you can quicken the development,but still it's a PSU led effort and frankly has multiple complicated tech development,so it will take a while like 10-15 years to reach fruition.
More Rafale - The most practical and obvious solution,but give the sheer costs and complexity of local production,it will take a while,but perhaps IAF could potentially acquire a few dozen Rafale squadrons in batches over the next few years but foregoing any ToT and local production.
Modernization of Su-30MKI - This is a very practical plan,which will infuse the old Russian birds with newer technologies like AESA and modern weapons,but the issue of its rather inefficient engines and heavy maintenance will persist still and not to mention the small issue of sanctions on its readiness levels in future.
Production of MK-2 - A personal favorite of mine,and certainly a good replacement for the greying Mirage and MiGs.Then again with the tardiness shown by NAL and HAL,it's not an entirely safe bet either.

 

[jazz]

Additional Rafael is the only current solution.
India should not go for new aircraft.
Side by Side same kind of wingman concept need to be fitted in all types of Indian Aircraft Inventory. In this era of Beyond visual Wingman/ Drone concept could bring disruptive Air power leep.

 

[Andy]

Immediate acquisition of Su57 my foot. They have made 20 odd in last 3 years. Pending domestic orders of 50+. Political issues separate.

 

[Anshuman Dev]

We need a pragmatic multipronged approach, especially as both China and Pakistan(with Chinese Stealth fighters) are going to posses Stealth fighters. Our own (ADA,HAL,DRDO) Institutions are "planning" for a Prototype in 4 years!!!! This is a sheer luxury we don't have...
We should have a Stealth fighter / credible deterrence within 2 years....
A few practical steps could be-

1. Strengthen Defences- OTH radars/Quantum Radars/ IRSTs/ Accoustic detection (like US Accoustic Siesmic Detection System used for low flying aircrafts)should be prioritised higher than AMCAs.
if we cannot attack China with stealth fighters atleast we can stop them entering our territories

2. Fast track AMCA, Tejas 2- GOI should call an emergency meeting & involve ALL capable private -public companies / Institutions having interest & experience in aviation / aerodefence for fast forwarding AMCA, Tejas 2, Quantum Radar technology, Over The Horizon (OTH) Radars.
Offer them Tax rebates, incentives and what nots...

3. Activate NRI Scientists / Pvt Consultants /Technicians on Stealth fighter and Defence against Stealth fighters.
it's a NATIONAL EMERGENCY. At least some might help the Motherland...
Offer them their proper compensation & recognition...

4. Try SU-57 / Korean Stealth fighter. Even a handful of fighters which can break the enemy defences can help SU 30 MKI, Rafales to bring the rear in....

5. Hypersonic missiles/ Brahmos 2.0 - Unlike fighter tech, Missile tech is now within India's grasp. Accelerate Hypersonic and uninterceptable missile development.
Even if our fighters are unable to target their territories, these uninterceptable missiles will take out their air fields and important military installations ...

All in all, we need an ALL OUT approach to counter China & Pak otherwise we might see a more humiliating scenario than the 1962 fiasco...

 

[sunilanalysis]

govt and ministry of defense and services have started worrying because vishnu som made some unique analysis which IAF and Govt does not know 🙂

 

[swatkats_razor]

Well, that's a given. When you cant even subdue a failed islamist pakii land how we can man up against a deep resourceful and cunning PLAAF. Here we can't even colcusively end MRFA tender we started.

The deep resourcedul and cunning PLAAF soldiers had ran away leaving their posts on a UN peace mission in Somalia.

To be precise, man-to-man, Pokistan indeed is a more of a threat at the personnal level to our soldiers. Only when you bring into the equation, military hardwares does the equation looks favourable for the Chinese.

 

[Tanishq Bafila]

What other choice GOI has, but his only dumb statement is buying 200 Rafale’s, does he want India to go bankrupt, may be if he pays $60-70Bln from his bank account, what is the need for expensive 4th gen Medium weight jet, why not buy a cheaper 4th gen jet like F21, Gripen, F/A-18 or even MIG-35, any way we are going to upgrade SU-30’s and make Tejas MK2 in the next 15-20 years.

You just can't choose a plane just because it is cheap.. You see if there a scope of upgrades in that if so how many block improvements.. How much it will cost for it lifecycle cost because lifecycle cost is 3× of off shelf cost... A rafale of 90 million $ will cost us 270 million for 40-45 years till it remains in service ( No weapons will be integrated for that you have make software & hardware changes ) , Mid-life refit & in every 10 years to have to do upgrades..

Mig-35 is out because it is rebranded Mig-29 even Russian aren't buying it , India not interested in USA fighter jets , Griphen is basically Tejas mk-2 but with a downgrade Version

 

[Banjo Strings]

Since money is a problem, why not go the route of missiles. India is already strong in this field.
Having a strong defensive and offensive missile force would be cheaper than buying the proposed number of fighter aircraft .
High levels of security will still be maintained.

 

[Himanshu Pandey Officials]

We have no choice. We have to buy SU 57

 

[Sridhar]

Since money is a problem, why not go the route of missiles. India is already strong in this field.
Having a strong defensive and offensive missile force would be cheaper than buying the proposed number of fighter aircraft .
High levels of security will still be maintained.

I agree with your point. But India needs jets for ensuring complete air dominance and also for special missions.