With Dassault Aviation's Rafale possibly flying in to join the Indian Air Force's (IAF's) fleet as its newest multirole fighter aircraft, delays in indigenous production have once again cost the Indian exchequer, and the IAF, the options of going in for a home-grown option, which would have not only cut purchase costs but would also have resulted in easier/cheaper maintenance costs as well.
Sadly as the Tejas is yet to be produced in the numbers required by the IAF at this point, the powers that be may soon come to a decision regarding the acquisition of the Rafale. The biggest let down has been the decision a while earlier, to finally give up on the Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO's) Kaveri engine that was being designed and built by the Bengaluru-based Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) specifically for the Tejas. That engine was to have played a very big role in keeping the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), as the Tejas was originally known, light.
However, as Kaveri was unable to match the thrust requirements for Tejas, it was replaced by General Electric's F414-GE-INS6 afterburner turbofan engine, which being heavier than anticipated in the initial Tejas (LCA) aircraft/engine configuration, requires the aircraft to be dovetailed a bit structurally, with the GE engine.
In October 2015 Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha had said that the IAF would like to have at least six squadrons of a medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), which could be the Dassault Rafale or any other equally good aircraft with similar capabilities.
If finalised the Rafale will enter the IAF at a time when its MiG 21 and MiG 27 fleets are soon to be replaced. The Rafale's midair refuelling capability gives it a long-range benefit, and being multi-role it can participate in deep-penetration strike missions like the IAF's Jaguar, and also take on other combat roles.
But for those who were sold on the LCA-Kaveri duo—and it would have been a tremendous achievement for the nation indeed—the failure of the Kaveri (which will now power unmanned air vehicles/drones); the compromise to the Tejas's design to integrate the GE engine with its additional weight penalty; and the fact the Rafale will now step in since the Tejas manufacturing line has failed to produce the numbers required, does feel a bit of a let down. Nevertheless, the IAF's aircraft-induction needs are the only imperative that counts.