New Delhi: Boeing’s Super Hornet fighter aircraft which completed ski-jump tests successfully in 2020 and there have been extensive simulated studies will be tested by the Indian Navy when the aircraft reaches India to prove this with more operational demonstrations.
This twin-engine fighter jet if selected will be competing with Dassault Aviation’s Rafale Marine which has been recently upgraded and France is ready to offer the same for the requirement of Indian Navy’s soon to be commissioned first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC).
For flight trials, US manufacturer Boeing is planning to send two F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter aircraft to an Indian Navy test facility in Goa soon. The aerospace giant has pitched its twin-seater F/A-18 E/F Block III Super Hornet which can operate from a `ski-jump’ ramp and can also be an enabler for secure Indo-Pacific. The aircraft has completed ski-jump tests successfully in 2020 and there have been extensive simulated studies.
Though no official dates have been declared, David L Calhoun, CEO & President of Boeing Company is likely to meet with the top officials in the Ministry of Defence when he visits India. India’s defence minister had met with Boeing and Raytheon – two major aerospace and defence companies to take advantage of the government’s Make in India initiative and to move towards ‘Make for the World’.
According to top Boeing officials, the aircraft that is being offered to India is a multi-role, and most advanced, frontline fighter of the US Navy (USN). It is the workhorse for the fleet of the US Navy.
