Boeing’s Super Hornet fighter jet for Indian Navy- Recent Developments
Recently, Boeing announced that its F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet has successfully performed a ski-jump. After this, the fighter jet has become suitable for the aircraft carriers of the Indian Navy.
Key Points
- F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet will provide superior economics, advanced warfighter technologies to the Indian Navy as well as enhance the naval aviation cooperation with the US Navy.
- The successful operation of the F/A-18 Super Hornet from the ‘ski-jump’ ramp has made it suitable for Indian aircraft.
- The demonstrations show that Super Hornet will perform well with the Short Take-off but Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) system of the Indian Navy.
- Boeing is offering the F/A-18 Super Hornet in single-seater (E-Variant) and two-seater variant (F-Variant) to the Indian Navy.
- F/A-18 Super Hornet interfaced with Indian Navy’s P-81 acts as a force multiplier.
- As a part of the ‘By India, for India’ proposed program of Boeing, Block III Super Hornets can be serviced in partnership with the Indian Navy along with the US and India based partners.
DRDO offer
At present, the Indian Navy is evaluating responses received from aircraft manufacturers for a Request for Information (RFI) floated in the year 2017 for 57 twin-engine deck-based fighters.
DRDO is presently offering to develop a twin-engine deck based jet, and the Navy is in the process to reduce the number of fighters to around 36 from 57.
INS Vikramaditya and Aircraft Carrier (IAC)-I Vikrant (under-construction) has a ski-jump with a STOBAR mechanism.