GlobalConflictहिंदी's video: Boeing F A-18 Super Hornet Navy Jet Deal Race

In January 2017, the Indian Navy issued an RFI (Request for Interest) to acquire 57 multi-role carrier-borne fighters, after long delays and technical glitches in building the indigenous HAL-Tejas for the Navy. Among the four contenders in the race, the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and Dassault Rafale navy-variant are head-to-head in winning the ₹24,000 crore deal, given the Indian Navy’s twin-engine preference. The other two are Sweden’s SAAB and Rosoboronexport of Russia. Both Dassault and Boeing are marketing their fighters as suitable for the Indian Navy, claiming their respective aircraft can be easily integrated with India’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-1), named Vikrant, set to be commissioned in 2022-23. The Indian aircraft carriers — INS Vikramaditya and to-be commissioned INS Vikrant — are Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) carriers, which means they utilize the deck of the aircraft carrier for take-off and landing purposes. While Dassault claims that Rafale can operate from STOBAR aircraft carriers, and can take off using a “ski-jump” with no modifications, Boeing demonstrated the jet’s capability to launch from a land-based ski-jump in 2020. The twin-engine, multirole F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter has a top speed of 1190 miles per hour and is armed with AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-7 Sparrow, and AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles. The fighter was one of the exhibits at the Aero India 2021, held in Bangaluru in February. According to Boeing India’s press release, “The Super Hornet’s unique differentiators for the Indian Navy include its two-seater carrier-compatibility capability which provides operational flexibility and opportunities to integrate future technologies related to manned-unmanned interface from aircraft carriers”. Describing it as an “enabler to secure Indo-Pacific”, Indian analysts have shown confidence in the Super Hornet’s capabilities and suitability for the Indian Navy. Angad Singh, Project Coordinator with the Observer Research Foundation’s (ORF) Strategic Studies Program, told Forbes that Boeing will become the frontrunner since “they have done the most work toward de-risking and validating their offering and are the only ones to have done physical flight testing.” Recently, Ankur Kanaglekar, the Head India Fighters Sales, Boeing Defense, Space and Security in an interview with Financial Express reiterated the air superiority role of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, calling it fully compliant with INS Vikramaditya and IAC-1 Vikrant aircraft carriers. “The [US Navy] will operate Block III Super Hornets for decades to come. With its rapid technology insertion plan, Block III will outpace threats for decades to come. This next-generation aircraft is ready to protect Indian armed forces from current and future threats,” he said.