Boeing has been a trusted partner of India’s aerospace sector for more than 75 years, both as the mainstay of India’s growing commercial aviation sector and, in the modernisation and mission readiness of the country’s defence forces. Today, with 11 C-17s, 12 P-8Is, 22 AH-64 Apaches (with six more on order with the Indian Army), 15 CH-47 Chinooks, 3 VVIP aircraft and two Head of State aircraft, India is at the front and centre of Boeing’s business plans. We have, through the years, invested in partnerships with players in the Indian aerospace ecosystem in diverse areas including skilling, research & technology, and manufacturing. When we talk about Boeing and India, we are talking about several firsts. India was the first international customer of P-8I aircraft. India is the largest international operator of C-17s outside the US. The Harpoon is the first US weapon integrated into an Indian fighter.
India’s defence sector is poised for growth, and Boeing is committed to supporting and enabling this progress. The future looks promising and we continue to see several opportunities in India.
Defending India’s maritime interests
The Indo-Pacific region is gaining prominence as a key geo-strategic intersection point for the world, and the Indian Navy will continue to play a pivotal role in India’s maritime interests, and the Indo-Pacific region. This makes it imperative for the Indian Navy to strive to build world-class, game-changing capabilities through collaboration and interoperability of defence assets. In the coming years, the Indian Navy will have two fully functioning aircraft carriers – INS Vikramaditya and the new indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant (IAC-1).
In this context, the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III, the world’s most advanced, combat-proven, multi-role frontline naval fighter and the P-8I, the most potent anti-submarine warfare, long range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, are well placed to offer strategic advantages to the Indian Navy.
F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III – transformative, next-generation capabilities for the Indian Navy
The F/A-18 Super Hornet was specifically designed, from its inception, for carrier operations. The US Navy operates more than 800 Super Hornets and EA-18 Growlers, the electronic attack version of the F/A-18 and have logged over 2.5 million flight hours on the fleet. With the Super Hornet, the Indian Navy will get transformative capability and also enhance naval aviation cooperation between the two navies. We are also pleased with the performance of our F/A-18 Super Hornets that participated in the Operational Demonstration test flights in May and June in Goa.
The trials were performed at India’s shore-based facility in Goa where conditions similar to that on the indigenously-developed aircraft carrier INS Vikrant were simulated. There the Super Hornet proved its ability to take off within INS Vikrant ski-jump parameters and land via arresting cable multiple times. The Super Hornets showcased several weapons payload configurations, including the carriage of two simulated Harpoon anti-ship missiles (can carry up to four), at heavy gross weights and successfully demonstrated its ability to take off from a ski jump and make an arrested landing that both met and/or exceeded the requirements for Indian Navy carriers. Following Indian Navy test requirements, no weapons were released from the aircraft, however, the F/A-18 operated with multiple weapons configurations to prove the fighters versatility to complete various mission requirements and did so exceptionally.
One of the main benefits of the F/A Super Hornet is that the aircraft has the ability to fold its wings, allowing for better utilization of deck space on the aircraft carrier. Boeing has conducted a thorough study and analysis that optimizes the number of Super Hornets that can fit aboard INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, as well as optimizes the cyclic operations from those carriers leading to high sortie generation rates. Boeing has also developed a capability specifically for the F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III that will allow for the faster movement of the aircraft between the flight deck and hangar deck without having to remove or modify any part of the aircraft. This capability is compatible with the current elevator/lift configuration aboard Indian aircraft carriers.
Another important fact to note is that the two-seater carrier compatible variant of the Super Hornet offers several unique advantages to the Indian Navy including flexibility, higher utilisation of the fleet, and the ability to embark on certain missions from the carrier that benefit from having the second crew member. Additionally, two-seater F/A-18 Super Hornets can be used as trainers (ashore and on the carrier) and as fully capable fighters, operational from a carrier and land bases. Thus, Indian Navy will get tremendous flexibility and a higher asset utilization rate due to the carrier-compatible variant of the two-seater variant of the F/A-18
Our sustainment program, ‘By India-For India’ is built on the success of our existing programs that Boeing is executing for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy today. We will develop select capabilities to sustain the Super Hornet out of India. The Super Hornet is powered by the GE F-414 engine that has clocked cumulatively more than 5 million hours. The same family of engines is powering India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft inducted by the Indian Air Force. The commonality in engines would create scale efficiencies for potential sustainment opportunities in India in the future.
The F/A-18 Super Hornet offers superior cost and value economics as it has a low acquisition cost as well as costs less per flight hour to operate than any other tactical aircraft in US forces inventory. For the Indian Navy, this equates to substantial cost savings over the life of the aircraft fleet as compared to a non-Boeing solution. Today Boeing sources parts, assemblies and services from Indian suppliers to support the full life-cycle of aircraft including aerostructures, composites, machined parts and assemblies, wire harnesses, cockpit panels, aluminium raw materials, forgings, avionics, mission systems, mechanical and electrical standard parts, tooling and ground support equipment. Specifically, on F/A-18, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) provides the gun bay doors and Rossell Techsys provides wire harnesses. Additionally, the F/A-18 work packages are also potentially available for transfer. Boeing is reviewing several hundred other machined assemblies that could be placed with the appropriate Indian suppliers. The diversity and strength of Boeing’s full Hornet Industry Team (HIT), including General Electric, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon, has the potential to provide significant benefits to the Indian industry.
With the F/A-18 the Indian Navy will get a proven, multi-role and carrier-compatible fighter while benefiting from the investments, upgrades and knowledge that comes from the US Navy’s extensive naval aviation ecosystem. Boeing has been providing the advanced products and services to help India, while also building a strong and resilient aerospace and defence supply chain in the country. Achieving that balance will be critical to readiness and the ability to respond to security challenges.
– The writer is vice president, India Business Development, Boeing Defense, Space & Security and Global Services
