Abhijit makes SO MUCH SENSE.He does explain complex things in so everyday language that listener doesnot get bored.

Rahul Gandhu was making heavy weather during the entire election. Thank God he did not win. He would have created boffer II.

We are paying heavy Price for not selecting Mirage 2000 MRCA contract. Joint chutiyappa by congress and IAF

I just happened to come across this video of Abhijit Iyer-Mitra of last year. The issues raised by him need to addressed and corrected by someone in the know to bring out the true facts. While the issues are many, I will address only the essential ones to keep these comments as concise as possible. Abhijit has not only got most of his facts wrong but also misunderstood some basic science. For example, he talks of the French LCDs on the Su-30s burning out because of wrong power inputs on Russian aircraft. To explain this issue in simple terms, the electricity at our homes is supplied at 220 Volts. At this voltage, a 10 watt bulb doesn't burn out any faster as compared to a 30 or 60 watt bulb as long as all the bulbs are built for 220V and the supply is within acceptable limits. In an aircraft, the power output, AC or DC, is stabilized within far more stringent limits compatible with the power requirements of all the systems integrated on the aircraft. Therefore, Abhijit's example of 110 Volts versus 220 Volts is highly misleading. As another example, he uses the term "thermocline", without truly understanding what a thermocline is, to state why the Su-30 range reduces from 3500 Km in Russia to just 500 Km in India. Please just look up the dictionary and you'll know what I'm saying. A temperature difference would certainly affect the performance and the range of the aircraft but not by such an exaggerated amount. Unfortunately also, Abhijit quotes the Bofors scandal as the basis for the IAF having "missed out two cycles of modernization/upgradation" without having taken into account the DARIN upgrade on the Jaguar of the late 1980s and the MiG-21 Bis Upgrade, or Bison as it's called, of the mid-1990s, perhaps because he was just a young boy then and didn't know. Mid-life upgrades are a regular feature in most air forces even without shortage of aircraft due to technological advancements and the requirements of the future battle. And it is pilots and engineers of the Air Force which examine and finally decide on the requirements to fight the battle. I was in charge of the MiG-21 Bis Upgrade Program till contract signing in 1996 so I can speak with some authority on how we went about designing a system architecture to integrate different systems working on GOST, ARINC 429 and MIL 1553 buses. Even in this economical upgrade, costing us barely $ 4 million per aircraft including all the initial weapons and spares for 6 bases, 6 squadrons and 12 detachments, we successfully integrated the Israeli EW pod with the Russian radar and Indian RWR called Tarang. The performance of the Bison in the engagement of February 27, 2019 speaks for itself. Therefore, to say that we couldn't do it in the Su-30 almost a decade later would be difficult to ascribe to a mere factual error. Even the later MiG-29 upgrade successfully integrates such systems as per our requirements. Such integration is certainly not rocket science. Abhijit also forgets the other minor upgrades the IAF has been able to do on its own from time to time like the Magic missile on the Jaguar, the R-73 missile on the Mirage and the Litening pod even without access to the source codes. The integration of the BrahMos and Astra missiles on the Su-30 also need to be kept in mind in this regard. In the Rafale, this being a direct purchase of just 36 aircraft, I am not certain we would get the source codes to do future upgrades on our own. It is also factually incorrect that the Su-30 was realized to be a failure by about 2007 and that is why India decided to cover up this failure and buy Rafales. In 2001, we had signed up for licence manufacture of 140 Su-30MKIs by HAL and the original contract of 1996 envisaged upgrade of the initial lot of 50 Su-30Ks to these MKI standards. That brings the total to 190 Su-30s. Thereafter, we have added to this program and acquired more Su-30s to bring the total to 272 and now, with the recent 12, to 284 with progressive upgrades based on technological advances. If the program or the aircraft was a failure, this could not have been done. I would leave the other assertions made by Abhijit on the Su-30 to be countered by the Su-30 Project Team, should they feel the need to do so. Further, I have been fortunate to have driven all kinds of fancy cars that Abhijit mentions to emphasize quality of a product. Let me tell you from personal experience that the quality of a Mercedes today would disappoint you, as compared to some of the other cheaper cars. I personally drove one of the cheaper ones on rent for almost 12,000 miles in about 45 days in a coast to coast road trip in the US a few years ago and can tell you, like someone said in the comments, only the Mercedes price is higher. Higher price is not necessarily a guarantee of better reliability. Considering this reliability factor, which impinges on maintenance including costs, spares management and availability, in our DPP, today, we insist on an MTBF-linked warranty based on the MiG-21 Bis Upgrade contract which came as a surprise to even US vendors. Research how we did it and you'll know the level of education and capabilities of the IAF. Abhijit also obviously does not know or remember all the facts behind the Rafale purchase. The initial requirement of 126 MRCAs (Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) was not for a Light Weight Fighter, as he calls it or even a twin-engined aircraft. I was Director ASR in 2000-01 and the ASRs, or QRs if you prefer, were being formulated at that time. For want of space, I would not comment on how the Rafale was chosen and then the deal stalled. For those who are interested, some more details on this imbroglio and other procurement issues are available in my article "Stemming the Slide" published in VAYU Issue V/2019, page 44 and also accessible at

Very informative and enlightening. Hope the opposition leaders hear this, enough to convince them. N. Ram

Brutal logic , insightful analysis and engaging articulation of Abhijeet Iyer Mitra 👌👌

It's hilarious to know that when you float a tender, there were no provisions to cancel a bid if the bidders were not true !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

16:38

Most expensive part of the air defense is the trained pilots!! Everything has to be done to save their lives and abilities. Invest for them.

Recently I read an article by an retired air Force officer who says that Mig 29 consistently outperformed Mirage2000 .If Sukoi is so bad why IAF still wants more.

Please don't edit videos when Abhijit is talking. His each and every word is an information worth 136 Rafale aircrafts. ;).

How simplistically and beautifully Abhijeet explained the complex subject. Hats off

I seriously believe this entire video must be played it the parliament

Brilliant! Abhijit sir, big fan of yours. Such details... I wonder what the govt. was upto.

Brilliant & elegantly simple explanation... Thank you.

Wonderful summary given by Mr. Abhijit Iyer; always like his talks. Kudos!

Woooow he never fails to amaze us great insight. I personally feel he should be working for our government. He has a lot of knowledge to share with the government.

amazing explanation and research done by Abhijit.

Absolutely eye opening talk.

Good presentation Abhijit! But what do you think is the best way forward w.r.t. aircraft at this juncture?