I am happy to see that the IAF is making the investment in new (hopefully better) trainers. I have always adopted the belief that an airforce is as good as it's prowess with the fighters it has. The Israelis set the best example. They fly F-15s and F-16s; but their pilots are the most skilled when it comes to flying these jets which makes the Israeil Air defense a force to reckon with. I believe the IAF should go down the same route.
Now for the matter of the Indian Aeronautical Complex... I think it's about time this industry was privatized. There is no need for a state run HAL which is performing below the mark given their high turn over rates due to their inability to compete with the tech private sector in terms of compensation. On the other hand if the private sector were given opportunity in this field I imagine they would perform a lot better. These are some of the incentives I think they should be given: 1. Establishment of a privatized aeronautical industry with intention of export: I bet Indian companies could design cutting edge software and hardware for civilian/defense/space programs which could be a profitable endeavor.
2. Aftermarket associations: If I am not mistaken, GE already has some of its R&D setup in India for developing engines and other integral equipment. This means that we obviously have the talent for that field. With the growing civilian aerospace requriements we could very well start developing our own technology to meet our burgeoning market requirements. We could also provide aftermarket assistance to foreign companies like Boeing and Airbus to upgrade their planes.
3. Healthy Competition: With privatization, we would have healthy competition which in turn will bring about better products.
The government should only standardize the requirements (basic safety for civilian tech and security measures for military tech).
