US$240m per shot. This is what it costs India to lose a Rafale fighter jet in the India Pakistan War. And India bought 36 pieces of Rafales from France. In this war it was reported that India lost 3 Rafales or US$720m just on Rafales alone. It also lost a SU30, MiG29 and a Mirage2000. The total cost or loss for India in the 4 day war, just on aircraft shot down is nearly US$1 billion. That is cool.
The Americans ordered the Indians and Pakistanis not to use the F16s bought from the Americans as they are meant to be used for anti terrorism purposes. And each F16 is likely to cost around US$60m. Using a US$60m aircraft to fight terrorists that are mostly rag and tag soldiers, carrying small arms and gathering in small numbers is definitely not very economical. And if they fire missiles at the terrorists, costing at least US$1m each, is small bang for big bucks.
Both the Americans and the Israelis are finding it super expensive to be firing their multi million dollar missiles at cheap Palestinian or Houthi drones and rockets that cost a couple of thousand dollars each. In the process the Americans also lost 3 F18s, each costing nearly US$100m.
Modern warfare American or western style, using expensive firepower is not going to be cheap or affordable to small countries. The Israelis and Americans are using expensive aircraft and bombs to bomb the Houthis and Palestinians, costing millions, and reporting 10 or 20 killed each time, sometimes less. This does not look economical at all.
The Pakistanis have proven that there is no need to spend huge money to fight a winning war. They used the Chinese PL15 missiles, each costing likely to be less than US$1m, maybe US$100k, to bring down a US$240m Rafales or the slightly cheaper SU, MiG or Mirage. Still very good value for money. Small buck big bangs.
Why would country spend hundreds of millions or trillions to acquire overpriced western weapons when they could do the same job better using many times cheaper Chinese weapons? Indonesia has ordered 30 Rafales, say at US$200m each, think the French overcharged the Indians at US$240m each, it would cost the Indonesians US$6 billion just on the aircraft alone. A J10 costs only US$40m! The Indonesians could have 30 J10s for US$1.2 billion with US$4.8 billion to spare.
China is telling the world that there is no need to spend so much on weapons to do the same job effectively. The western lies that countries must spend billions and billions to buy expensive but average western weapons is falling through, just like spending tens of thousands on luxury branded goods when the same item costs a fraction of the price. The Americans are selling the rich Arabs AI machine costing billions when China has proven that the same job can be done for the cost of peanuts.
Modern warfare, modern weapons do not have to be so expensive as charged by the Americans and the West. The markups and sales talks are not worth the money spent. Expensive is not necessarily good stuff, could be duds.
7 comments:
Tell that to our new cotton minister of defence. Maybe it better to re-sell all our F35 back to American & claim that it a bad lemon.
Did we own the F35s? Or they are like private cars for lease, pay and drive?
That was how the USA lost the war in Afghanistan. F16s to fight the Taliban bearing small arms also failed to overcome them. The USA were then flying F16s all over Afghanistan trying to frighten the Taliban farmers but failed to cripple them. How to use F16s against more sophisticated weapons in the hands of the Pakistanis? Therefore, they have to be grounded in order not to lose face like the French.
But then, India claims the attack in Pahalgam was a terrorist attack. Why not allow India to use the F16s to fight the terrorist, a task the F16s were touted to be for? Illogical argument isn't it, to keep the F16s grounded. How is the USA going to spin the story if India is going to ask the difficult questions? India is very unhappy with the USA now over Trump taking credit for the truce between India and Pakistan, releasing the official claim of the jets shot down by Pakistan and Trump telling Apple not to have further investments in India. I think it is time for India to say enough is enough.
What Jeffrey Sachs warned India against playing the USA game is becoming true and if India does not heed the advice, too bad. The F16 sales were probably arm twisted by Trump during Modi's arse kissing attempt in Washington ahead of everyone else. It was supposed to be a move to cut the trade imbalance between India and USA and what else is more radical and effective than the sale of expensive weapons to India.
Now the Rafales are grounded and the F16 rendered impotent. And there is still talk of another war breaking out between Pakistan and India.
I like the analogy of the Native American Indians that if you see two fish fighting in a pool of water, look around and you will see a White man standing nearby, waiting to reap the benefits. Probably a fish meal, LOL.
Dear Mr Redbean, surely you mean the total cost of the 4 day war for aircraft is 1 billion. Not trillion.
Oops, oops, thanks for the correction.
What's RB meant is that including the 33 bakance scrap Raffles Yeh! Oops Rafales!
Even up in the skies also shot down by PL-150 missles.
Better NOT to further insult that Frenchcie Marconi into hot soup as later kena slap again by his beautiful 74 year old hag wifey
A 47 eagle nosed Eunuch getting slap by his beautiful old hag wifey.
Whites when introduced themselves shall always said Married to my wonderfully beautiful wife of ten years.. Even her face looked like chicken or duck's backside.
No eyes see
What can India do? India still has to depend on other countries for its weapons. India had been gloating it was number 2 or 3 military power in the world and a superpower in the making.
In the past it was Russian weapons, but since Russia refused payments in rupees, and Russia had no use in keeping US$ with all the sanctions, what to do? The USA were waiting to step in to fill the Indian military gap long before Trump and Trump found the weak spot and the right time and opportunity to push his dagger into Modi and twist it around. Now India is stuck with F16s and Rafales and there is no way out. Play around with the devil and get screwed by the devil.
Post a Comment