Why can't we make our own engines?
This question applies to China too. How is it with their copying, espionage, adequate resources, astute planning has China STILL not succeeded in making a jet engine that can compete with western jet engines or even Russian for that matter.
Short answer? Jet engines are very difficult to master.
See, making your own engines isn't enough until they can compete to some extent with that of the adversary.
I've said this before. Chinese jet engines need to be overhauled after 2000 hours of service. Western can last four times longer. On that basis alone the Chinese would need 4x the number of jets to just match the west. Four jets exceeding the cost of one equivalent western jet by a sizable margin. What good is it. Youcan show them for parades.
Incidentally that imbalance applies with us as well if we keep using imported jets. In addition the geography favours India massively over China when it comes to airforce.
That is provided we maintain our squadrons to the required strength.
There's a ton of rocket companies now with space sector opened up to private players.
Rockets are much easier in comparison to jet engines
We could have the same defence sector opened to private players to make our own engines.
Nobody will share jet engine tech with us unless we manage to buy it somehow.
Govt should have thought 20-30 years ahead while making ambitious plans.
Ah well look up the marut in the 60s where we had a former German jet designer working for us. Had that momentum been continued we'd have been in a better place but Alas.
Incidentally Israel also had an Tejas equivalent jet of their own. Americans saw to it that project went away.
But everything is done by HAL, DRDO and 1-2 govt companies, so everything is delayed. Then we blame everyone except ourselves.
There is a lot not being revealed here as to why there is this delay. For a number of reasons. It's never mentioned.