Boeing says successful demonstration of F-18s landing on Indian Navy carriers
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Demonstrations had been held on a shore-based facility at Naval Air Station Patuxent river in Maryland, U.S.
Boeing on Monday introduced the successful demonstration of the flexibility of its F-18 Super Hornet fighter jets to land on Indian Navy’s plane carriers. This is the fruits of two years of research and simulations in shut interplay with the Indian Navy.
The demonstrations, which had been held on a shore-based facility on the Naval Air Station Patuxent river in Maryland, U.S., present that the F-18 Super Hornet would do properly with the Indian Navy’s Short Takeoff however Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) system and validate earlier simulation research by Boeing, a senior firm official stated.
“The first successful and safe launch of the F/A-18 Super Hornet from a ski-jump begins the validation process to operate effectively from Indian Navy aircraft carriers,” stated Ankur Kanaglekar, Head, India Fighters Sales, Boeing Defense, Space and Security.
The F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet wouldn’t solely present superior war-fighting functionality to the Indian Navy but additionally create alternatives for cooperation in naval aviation between the U.S. and India, Mr. Kanaglekar stated, pitching it as a “lynchpin” for cooperation between Indian and U.S. Navies.
‘Force multiplier’
He additionally highlighted the flexibility of F/A-18 to interface with the Navy’s P-8I as a “force multiplier” and in addition with different platforms below induction.
The Navy has contracted 24 Lockheed MH-60R multi-role helicopters with deliveries to start subsequent yr.
As half of Boeing’s proposed “By India, for India” sustainment program, the Block III Super Hornets might be serviced in partnership with the Indian Navy in addition to India and U.S. primarily based companions all through the lifecycle of the plane, Mr. Kanaglekar stated. This would additional develop superior experience in plane upkeep in India, leading to larger availability of the plane, at aggressive pricing and decreased danger for the Indian Navy.
DRDO’s provide
The Indian Navy presently evaluates responses from plane producers acquired in response to a Request For Information (RFI) floated in 2017 for 57 twin-engine deck-based fighters. However, with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) lately providing to develop a twin-engine deck primarily based jet, the Navy is within the course of of reducing down the quantity of fighters from 57 to round 36.
The Navy’s sole provider in service INS Vikramaditya and the under-construction indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC)-I Vikrant each have a ski-jump with a STOBAR mechanism.
As reported by The Hindu early this month, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh stated the Navy was attempting to do the tender together with the Indian Air Force (IAF) which, officers had said, if accepted the 57 tender can be mixed with the IAF’s 114 jet tender.
