Nigeria absorbed in Indian-made Tejas fighter jet, but auction is awful unlikely
Despite the abutting ties amid India and Nigeria, the auction of the Tejas fighter jet to Nigeria is awful unlikely, for several reasons.
Nigeria is one of the abeyant buyers of the Tejas fighter jet, a ablaze action aircraft developed and bogus by India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL). The Tejas is a multi-role fighter jet that boasts of agility, avant-garde technology, and able-bodied performance. However, the auction of the Tejas to Nigeria is far from certain, as the aircraft is still ambiguous in action and faces antagonism from added suppliers.
India’s advance for defence exports
India has been alive agilely to admission its attendance in the accoutrements barter and attempt with assertive nations like Russia and China. This appetite has apparent India focus its efforts on affairs its domestically produced weapons to African militaries, which are generally clumsy to allow Western-made equipment. India has already had some success in this area and is now attractive to body aloft this as it hopes to become a above amateur in African accoutrements deals.
India is acquisitive to capitalize on its growing attendance in Africa to not alone advertise added of its domestically produced accouterments but additionally to accretion admission to new markets and added strengthen its all-around presence. India has already fabricated able appropriate into the African accoutrements bazaar and is assured that, with the appropriate strategies in place, it can become a above amateur in the area and attempt with Russia and China for accoutrements deals.
HAL, the state-owned aerospace aggregation that produces the Tejas, is in talks with at atomic three countries – Nigeria, Philippines, and Argentina – to advertise the fighter jets. Egypt has additionally apparent absorption in the Tejas, but the talks are at a basic stage. HAL administrator C. B. Ananthakrishnan said that the discussions with the abeyant buyers are avant-garde and that the aggregation is aperture offices in some across markets to facilitate the exports.
Nigeria’s defence needs and challenges
Nigeria is one of the bigger and best crawling countries in Africa, with a GDP of $477 billion and a citizenry of 214 million. It is additionally one of the best afflicted countries in the continent, adverse aegis threats from assorted sources, such as the Islamist alive accumulation Boko Haram, agitator movements, common violence, and piracy.
Nigeria’s air force, which has a backbone of about 15,000 cadre and 150 aircraft, is in acute charge of addition and expansion. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Nigeria’s air force account consists of mostly anachronistic or crumbling platforms, such as the Alpha Jet, the F-7, and the MiG-21. Nigeria additionally operates alone three JF-17 Thunders, a fighter jet accordingly developed by Pakistan and China, which it acquired in 2018.
Nigeria’s absorption in the Tejas stems from its abiding aggressive and adept relations with India, which date aback to the 1960s. India helped Nigeria authorize its defence academy and argosy college, and the two countries accept cooperated in collective aggressive training, barter programmes, and UN peacekeeping operations. India and Nigeria accept additionally exchanged best practices and discussions in the acreage of counter-terrorism, abnormally in the deathwatch of the jihadist attacks that accept afflicted both countries.
Why the Tejas auction is unlikely
Despite the abutting ties amid India and Nigeria, the auction of the Tejas fighter jet to Nigeria is awful unlikely, for several reasons. First, the Tejas is still ambiguous in action and has not been absolutely operationalized by the Indian Air Force. The Tejas has faced several delays and abstruse issues in its development, and has not yet accomplished the final operational approval (FOC) that certifies its abode for combat. The Tejas is additionally yet to be able with some of the avant-garde weapons and systems that it is declared to carry, such as the beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) and the alive electronically scanned arrangement (AESA) radar.
The Tejas has been offered to Botswana, and Egypt but both countries alone it, admitting HAL alms to set up assembly accessories in Egypt for the Tejas Mk1A. Egypt instead chose the KAI FA-50/T-50 Golden Eagle jet, while Botswana acceptable opting for the SAAB JAS 29 Gripen.
Second, the Tejas faces antagonism from added suppliers, such as Russia, China, and the US, who accept added accustomed and reliable articles in the market. Nigeria may adopt to buy added JF-17s from Pakistan, China’s J-10CE, which are cheaper and added accordant with its absolute fleet. Nigeria may additionally accede affairs the Su-30 or the MiG-29 from Russia, which are added able and able than the Tejas. Alternatively, Nigeria may opt for the F-16 from the US, which are added avant-garde and accept bigger abutment and training packages.
Third, the Tejas may not clothing Nigeria’s operational requirements and account constraints. The Tejas is a ablaze action aircraft that is advised for air ahead and bang missions. Nigeria may charge a added multi-role and adjustable aircraft that can accomplish assorted tasks, such as air defence, arena attack, reconnaissance, and amphibian patrol. Moreover, the Tejas is not a bargain aircraft, as it costs about $40-60 actor per unit, which may be too big-ticket for Nigeria’s defence budget, compared to $17-25 actor for the Chinese JF-17.
The Tejas fighter jet is a arresting accomplishment for India’s defence industry and a abeyant consign account for India’s defence diplomacy. However, the Tejas is not a applicable advantage for Nigeria, which needs a added proven, compatible, and affordable aircraft to improve its air force and abode its aegis challenges. Nigeria’s absorption in the Tejas may be added of a adept action than a austere acquirement intention, and the auction of the Tejas to Nigeria is awful absurd to materialize.
Also, the business could additionally be allotment of a beyond $1 billion accord to addition the country’s defence industry. The deal, which was active with the Managing Arm of the Military-Industrial Complex of the Indian government, will see the Aegis Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) become 40% arrogant in bounded accomplishment and assembly of aegis accessories by 2027.
