Forum: F-16 versus XYZ

MOST OF YA'LL SERIOUSLY UNDERESTIMATE THE LETHALITY OF THE LCA. DO NOT FORGET IT IS STILL UNDER DEVELOPEMENT, THE NEXT PROTOTYPE IS BEING WEAPONIZED, 2 MORE ARE BEING DEVELOPED AND WILL FEATURE RADAR ABSORBANT MATERIAL, SUPER CRUISE, MUILTI AXIS THRUST VECTORING NOZZEL FOR THE ENGINE AND A MORE ADVANCED RADAR PROBABLY AN ISRAELI RADAR THAT CAN TRACK A WHOPPING 64 TARGETS. NOT TO FORGET HAL THE CORE DEVELOPER OF THIS AIRCRAFT ALREADY LICENCE MANUFACTURES THE INCREDIBLE SU-30 MKI WHICH IS A 4.5 GENERATION AIRCRAFT WITH EXTREME AGILITY AND TVC, THE MIG-29 AND ENEGINES ETC. OUTSIDE RUSSIA, US, AND A COUPLE OF EUROPEAN NATIONS, INDIA IS THE ONLY NATION WHICH HAS THE KNOW HOW ON MAUFACTURING A 5 TH GEN AIRCRAFT. CHINA IS STILL BEHIND IN TERMS OF THE KNOW HOW. INDIA IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST DEMOCRACY, WITH 1.1 BILLION PEOPLE. EVERYTHING IN SUCH A LARGE COUNTRY TAKES TIME. FROM PLANNING TO ACTUAL PRODUCTION. NOT TO FORGET INDIAN AIRFORCE PILOTS ARE RATED BY MANY TO BE AMONG THE BEST IN THE WORLD. A FEW YEARS AGO INDIAN MIG-21S AND 23S MADE THE F-15 LOOK RIDICULOUS. JUST THIS FEB AFTER AERO 2007 WE GAVE THE FRENCH WITH THEIR LATEST MIRAGE 2000-5 AND THE RAFAEL SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT AND LEFT THEM SHOCKINGLY DISSAPOINTED. REMEMBER ITS ALWAYS THE MAN OR WOMAN BEHIND THE MACHINE THAT CREATES MAGIC. INDIAN PILOTS ARE SO GOOD THAT WE HAVE BEEN INVITED FOR THE FIRST TIME TO AN ALL AMERICAN RED FLAG EXCERCISES NEXT YEAR. THE LCA WHENEVER IT IS FINALLY INDUCTED INTO THE INDIAN AIRFORCE AND THE NAVY WILL BE ON PAR WITH CURRENT TRENDS IN AVIATION, I ASSURE YOU. THE FINAL VERSION WILL BE 4.5 GEN OR MORE..... I SAY THIS BECAUSE ONE CAN'T JUDGE A BOOK OR ITS COVER EVEN BEFORE IT BEEN WRITTEN. IF AN INDIAN PILOT IN AN ANCIENT MIG-21 CAN PROVE TO BE A WORTHY OPPONENT TO MANY WESTERN PILOTS JUST IMAGINE HIM IN A LCA....BESIDES...ITS LIGHT, UNSTABLE AND IS HIGHLY AGILE AT MACH SPEEDS. RECENT INTERVIEWS OF THE TEST PILOTS AIRED ON LOCAL TV HAVE CLAIMED THAT THE LCA IS FAR MORE AGILE THAN THE MIRAGE-2000, ITS AGILITY AND FLIGHT CHARACTERISTICS ARE SIMILAR TO THAT OF A SU-30 MKI. I WOULD SAY IN FIVE YEARS ONCE IT IS FINALLY FINISHED AND INTRODUCED TO THE AIRFORCE AND THE NAVY THEY WONT BE DISAPPOINTED. I M PRETTY SURE THE AMERICANS WILL ALSO TRY TO GET THEIRS HANDS ON SOME OF THESE AIRCRAFT BECAUSE THEY WILL BE CHEAPER, AGILE AND LETHAL. BESIDES IF INDIA CHOOSES TO BUY AND LICENSE PRODUCE THE 126 MRCA BLOCK 70 F-16S WITH AESA RADARS , TVC AND OTHER LATEST TOOLS INCLUDING THE WHOLE ARRAY OF AMERICAN WEAPON SYSTEMS LIKE THE AAMRAAM, SIDEWINDER, HARPOONS, HARM, GBU'S, J-DAMS ETC....WE GET BEST OF BOTH WORLDS THE RUSSIANS AND THE AMERICANS....NOW WE KNOW IF THIS HAPPENS INDIA WILL BE THE ONLY COUNTRY WITH RUSSIAN AND AMERICAN AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURING SECRETS...IF WE COMBINE THESE ONE CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES. ONE LAST THING IS...IN 15 YEARS INDIA WILL HAVE MORE PEOPLE THAN IN CHINA AND EVENTUALLY OVER THE NEXT 50 YEARS...IF THE WORLD STILL EXISTS...IT BECOMES THE MOST POWERFUL NATION IN THE WORLD....HANDS DOWN....THE WISEST THING FOR ANY SUPER POWER RIGHT NOW WOULD BE TO JOIN WITH INDIA...

LCA is to be 21st century GNAT, not a world beater. In its class I still think the Gripen is better, with unmatched weapons and cockpit avionics and BVR capabilities. And it cant hope to match the F-16, specialy blocks 52+ and 60.