Skip to main content

Should IAF invest $15 bn in buying the F/A-18 Super Hornet?


From Top Gun fans to IAF enthusiasts, everyone’s talking about the F/A-18 Super Hornet this week. We take a closer look… 

Since the trailer for Top Gun: Maverick dropped last week, aviation enthusiasts have been buzzing about the multi-role fighter that the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy could soon fly, courtesy of Boeing and two Indian companies. 

In April 2018, Boeing announced a partnership with PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Mahindra Defence Systems (MDS) to manufacture the F/A-18 Super Hornet in India under the ‘Make in India’ programme. Last month, HAL delivered its 150 th gun bay door for the F/A-18 Super Hornet. 



A few interesting facts about the fighter aircraft that’s got everyone talking: 

1. The F/A-18 Super Hornet is a twin-engine multirole combat jet based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. It was designed primarily for use on aircraft carriers of the US Navy after the US government decided to stop purchases of the F-14 Tomcat in 1991 (the fighter jet featured in the original Top Gun movie). 

2. Today, the latest evolution of the F/A-18 – the Block III – is able to perform a variety of tactical missions such as air superiority, day/night strike with precision guided weapons, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy air defence, maritime strike, reconnaissance, forward air control and buddy refuelling.

3. According to the Boeing website, the F/A-18 Super Hornet will deliver on India’s need for a carrier and land-based multi-role fighter being the least expensive aircraft per flight hour of its kind with advanced survivability and continuous evolution. 

4. This assessment is based on extensive testing that Boeing has done to test the Super Hornet’s compatibility with Indian carriers. Results show that the Super Hornet is capable of launching off a ski-jump carrier and could be operated from Indian carriers with a meaningful fuel and weapons load, as found on the company’s website. 

5. Should the IAF and the Indian Navy decide to purchase the Super Hornets, the value of the IAF contract alone is estimated to be $15 billion. 

6. Depending on the number of machines ordered by both the Navy and the IAF, Boeing will set up a completely new production facility in India for the production of its F/A-18 Super Hornets with the aim that the new facility can be used for other programs like India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program. 

7. The Royal Australian Air Force currently operates 24 Super Hornets, while Kuwait has ordered 28 of the jets. The Super Hornet was also proposed for the Indian Air Force's now-aborted deal to purchase 126 fighter aircrafts. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Should IAF invest $15 bn in buying the F/A-18 Super Hornet?
Please caste your VOTE in the POLL Section of the website.

Source Link : http://www.defencenews.in/article/Should-IAF-invest-$15-bn-in-buying-the-F/A-18-Super-Hornet-586045

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Border brawl: China choppers were in air

Indian Air Force's Sukhoi 30 fighter aircraft  (File picture) Two helicopters of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army hovered close to the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh on May 5 and Indian Air Force fighter jets had also been airborne at the same time during a face-off between soldiers near the Pangong lake, sources in the army headquarters said on Tuesday. The latest revelations come at a time there has been an escalation in tension in pockets of the disputed frontier. “The Indian Air Force is regularly carrying out sorties of its Sukhoi 30 fighter aircraft in the Ladakh sector amid the simmering tension with China in the region. During the face-off last week, two Chinese choppers had come close to the border but there was no air space violation. The IAF’s Sukhoi 30 fighter jets were also airborne at the same time but it was routine flying and not in response to Chinese helicopters,” a source said. Chinese PLA Choppers Spotted Near LAC; IAF Rushes Fighter Jets To Ladakh...
Post a Comment
Read more

Indian Army looking for new armoured vehicles for Ladakh, Tata among contenders

Humvee and American Stryker Infantry Combat Vehicle are the two others who are also being considered by the Indian Army to deliver such vehicles. Photo of a Tata Defence Combat Light Armored Multi Role Vehicle Seeking to provide highly mobile armoured protection vehicles to its soldiers in high altitude terrains like Eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army is looking to choose from three different vehicles including the indigenous Tata Wheeled Armoured Protection along with American Stryker Infantry Combat Vehicle and Humvee. The Indian Army has a need for armoured infantry combat vehicles for quick movement of troops in the Eastern Ladakh area where the Chinese have deployed their armoured personnel carriers in large numbers. The force is looking at the three options which include the Tata WhAP and the American Stryker and Humvee, defence sources told ANI. The options are being evaluated by the force at the moment and a decision in this regard would be taken soon, they said. Sources said duri...
Post a Comment
Read more

‘Disengagement an intricate process, needs constant verification’: Army

The government’s high-powered China Study Group (CSG) on Wednesday reviewed the latest developments in eastern Ladakh, with focus on the next stage of disengagement between the Indian and Chinese armies following the 14-hour meeting between senior military commanders.   The focus of the current round of military talks is to hammer out a consensus on easing tensions between the two armies in the Finger Area and Depsang plains as well as pulling back weapons and equipment from friction points in other sectors.(PTI) India and China remain committed to “complete disengagement” which is an “intricate process” and “requires constant verification”, the Indian Army said in a statement on Thursday, two days after senior military commanders from both sides met at Chushul to discuss the road map for reducing tensions along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC). “The senior commanders reviewed the progress on implementation of the first phase of disengagement and discussed further step...
Post a Comment
Read more