Letters: Aircraft acquisitions

This refers to "How Rafale is killing the air force's future" (February 17). It is sometimes reasonable to acquire existing weapons systems from allies who've already spent time and money developing a workable solution. The Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) project has been plagued by delays, cost overruns, and unsteady technology. In 2014, a prototype of the plane caught fire during a demonstration flight. The Russians are neither explaining why the aircraft caught fire nor addressing other technical doubts expressed by India.

Already, India has been reduced from a joint collaborator to a financing partner in the FGFA project. The Indian work share in the venture is only 13 per cent, though it is paying 50 per cent of the projected cost of $10.5 billion agreed on in 2011. In terms of work, India's state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd will contribute only tyres, basic navigational instrument VOR-DME, coolant for radar, laser designation pod and heads-up display. The situation in Russia after the break-up of the Soviet Union is grim. Significant portions of the increases in Russia's military procurement budget are being eaten up by inflation. The country's overall inflation rate in certain weapon categories is more than 30 per cent. The IAF is right trying to expedite the Rafale deal.

M M Gurbaxani Bengaluru

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