Mirage on Life Support: India's Aging Fighters Get a Greek Lifeline

The Indian Air Force's (IAF) reported consideration of acquiring Greece's decommissioned Mirage 2000 fighter jets offers more than spare parts.

This potential deal carries geopolitical implications that reveal India's strategic calculus in a volatile region.

Pragmatism Amidst Regional Tensions​

India's longstanding rivalry with Pakistan and the complex dynamics surrounding China make maintaining a robust air force a paramount concern.

With Dassault's 2007 halt to Mirage 2000 production, acquiring spares becomes a logistical and geopolitical challenge.

Greece's offer, on the surface a cost-effective fix, reflects India's pragmatic approach to securing vital resources in a landscape of shifting alliances.

Beyond the Technical: Signaling and Partnerships​

The potential deal, while operationally limited, sends a subtle signal to both allies and rivals. By aligning with Greece, a fellow NATO member, India subtly diversifies its defense procurement sources without overtly challenging its traditional relationship with Russia.

Simultaneously, it underscores India's resourcefulness in the face of potential manufacturer dependency, a point of concern for nations with legacy weaponry from a limited pool of suppliers.

Balancing Power in a Contested Region​

While primarily a logistical move, this deal echoes India's participation in multilateral military exercises with partners like the US and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad).

These exercises and potential acquisitions like the Greek Mirages serve as a subtle counterweight to China's growing military power and influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Geopolitical Price Tag​

However, the geopolitical benefits must be weighed against potential consequences. Deepening defense cooperation with Greece and other NATO members could subtly alter India's historically non-aligned position, potentially complicating its relationships within the broader Eurasian sphere.

Furthermore, this focus on legacy aircraft might subtly divert attention away from much-needed investments in truly next-generation platforms.

The Future of India's Air Power​

While the IAF's final decision on the Greek proposal remains uncertain, the situation reveals the difficult choices facing India as it seeks to maintain its airpower edge.

It highlights the intricate interplay of technical requirements, resource constraints, and the geopolitical dynamics shaping India's strategic outlook.

 

[Pink Panther]

Let them mull shopping around in every scrap yard in the world and bring them to India.

 

[NSR]

Only at scrap rate, please.

 

[Anant]

Based on what OSINT I have seen on the matter, the 18 jets include 16 single-seat Mirage 2000EGMs (very similar to 2000Hs) and 2 twin-seat trainer Mirage 2000BGMs (very similar to 2000THs).

Of Greece's total of 55 Mirage 2000s that they have ever operated, 4 were lost (including two in a mid-air collision), and a further 6 have been scavenged for spares over the years. Of the remaining 45, 25 are still in service (in the upgraded Mirage 2000Mk-5 variant), 2 are used as instructional airframes / spare parts sources, and 18 are for sale.

 

[Varaaah]

What else can India import from Greece?
Olives, perhaps.

 

[vickram 007]

Better to fly the mirage than the junk21s. Makes for a handly plane

 

[Taus Melek]

Complete joke!

 

[CCPSmasher]

WTF..shameless hand-me-down begger svckas

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

is it just me or does the tejas mk2 look identical to mirage 2000.

 

[One Fairman]

Mirage is a good plane. A Greek Mirage shot down a Turkish F16. Greek pilots are proven to be the best in Nato. I'm sure the mothballed 2000s are in reasonable condition.

 

[One Fairman]

What else can India import from Greece?
Olives, perhaps.

silly boy

 

[One Fairman]

Complete joke!

spare parts very useful

 

[Anant]

This is not necessarily a bad idea. We currently have 55 Mirage 2000s, which comprises some 44 fighters and 11 trainers. Adding in these 18 aircraft, assuming we can get 50% of them to fly, would give us 51-53 fighters and 11-13 trainers. That would mean almost 3 entire fighter squadrons, and would allow the IAF to not have to shift trainers into active squadrons.

The problem is that the older Jaguars are really coming to the end of their service life. We currently have 130 Jaguars acting as fighter-bombers and another 30 acting as conversion trainers. These make up some 7 squadrons of combat aircraft and 1 squadron of trainers that can be used in combat, plus attrition replacements. It is estimated that almost 10% of the fleet is at the end of its life.

Having these Mirages would be more of a safety net to shore up squadron strength assuming that we have premature retirements in the Jaguar or MiG-29 fleets. That said, if we are to buy any more Mirage 2000s, these should be very cheap for us yo buy. No point investing significant sums to acquire these aircraft now.

 

[Sandeep]

As the delay in producing Tejas MK1A and the delay of not even making and having Tejas MK2 first flight this proposal is worth considering. What we need is combat ready jets rather than using it just for spare parts. If they are still in good condition and still have enough flight hours left then we should buy them. There are many countries that still have many Mirage jets that are fairly modern but they are asking for more money than the actual selling price. If they need some cheap upgrades and modernising them then it's worth it as the Mirage jets will still be in service until at least 2045 as it will take a long time to replace all of them. The first jet that Tejas MK2 will start replacing is the Jaguar and they have around 120 still in service and it will most likely take more than 10 years for HAL to replace them entirely so 2045 is a more realistic date.

The ideal situation is to ramp up production of Tejas MK1A and MK2 jets when it becomes ready and production of Tejas MK2 will most likely only start in 2030. The only solution is to replace those 12 Sukhoi 30 jets that was lost in crashes and maybe make another squadron and let Russia manufacture them at a much cheaper price than HAL.

Another solution is to manufacture those Mig 29 jets and use the already manufactured air frames but by making it to the latest MIG 29UPG standard it makes it affordable, reliable and lethal in air combat and ground targets.

Another solution is to look at the stealth Checkmate single engine jet and if its capabilities match what they say it can do then we could buy 1-2 squadrons as it has a very cheap price so we have to look at the jet in more detail including its stealth material and technology is genuine.

 

[sunilanalysis]

Good for spare parts..

 

[venkat]

If we get the for about 5 million USD each, then it should be okay

 

[NSR]

This is not necessarily a bad idea. We currently have 55 Mirage 2000s, which comprises some 44 fighters and 11 trainers. Adding in these 18 aircraft, assuming we can get 50% of them to fly, would give us 51-53 fighters and 11-13 trainers. That would mean almost 3 entire fighter squadrons, and would allow the IAF to not have to shift trainers into active squadrons.

The problem is that the older Jaguars are really coming to the end of their service life. We currently have 130 Jaguars acting as fighter-bombers and another 30 acting as conversion trainers. These make up some 7 squadrons of combat aircraft and 1 squadron of trainers that can be used in combat, plus attrition replacements. It is estimated that almost 10% of the fleet is at the end of its life.

Having these Mirages would be more of a safety net to shore up squadron strength assuming that we have premature retirements in the Jaguar or MiG-29 fleets. That said, if we are to buy any more Mirage 2000s, these should be very cheap for us yo buy. No point investing significant sums to acquire these aircraft now.

Perhaps India should order the half finished 21 Mig-29 skeletons with Indian avionics and RD-33MK engines.
Order also 12 SU-30MKIs in Indian Super Sukhoi versions (with Indian avionics) to replace the attrition fighters.

Together, it will be about 2 squadrons.
If Mig-29UPGs can have an Indian AESA radar, then it will be even awesome.

In a way, these can be sweeteners to Russia to help out Indian Super Sukhoi program to take off.

One must remember, however how much we upgrade, the Mirage-2000 can't even see JF-17 with AESA radar and long range BVRAAM missile prowling aroung LoC because its radar is blind at AESA ranges.
Furthermore, Mirage-2000UPG can only carry at most 60 to 80 kms MicaNG.
Summary - It can't go to a fight on its own.