F/A 18 Super Hornet is compatible with Indian aircraft carrier, ski jump tests soon: Boeing

Making a strong pitch for the F/A 18 Super Hornet fighter jets for an upcoming requirement of the Indian Navy, US defence major Boeing has said that the aircraft will soon be tested on a ski jump to demonstrate that its abilities to operate from Indian platforms.

The Super Hornet, which is by far the most used carrier borne fighter in the world, will be competing with the French Rafale for a requirement of 57 jets for the Navy for its aircraft carrier that is currently under construction at Kochi. The only existing Indian carrier – the INS Vikramaditya – operates the Russian MiG 29 K but the Navy is keen to get a more contemporary jet for future requirements.

While both France and the US have offered their fighters, the key issue is that the western jets are designed to operate from a flat deck with the assistance of a catapult. The Indian ships do not have the catapult and rely on a ski jump for take-off.

To overcome this, Boeing says that it will prove that the Super Hornet can operate from a ski jump by conducting physical tests. Sources said that the tests could be carried out a shore based facility in Maryland in the coming months.

“The F/A-18, on offer to the Indian Navy, is fully compatible with Indian Navy carriers and will boost the growing maritime and defence relationship between the United States and Indian navies,” Boeing says.

France is also pitching the fighter jet as a contender for the Indian Navy’s, pointing to operations against ISIS using the Rafale. French industry has pitched that the jet can be easily integrated onboard the aircraft carrier under construction at Cochin Shipyard Ltd.

Several rounds of talks had taken place with the Indian Navy regarding the requirement of 57 jets but the formal acquisition process is yet to start. While the navy has used Russian MiG 29 K jets till now, it wants to progress to a new aircraft due to several technical problems with the fleet.

Both the F/A 18 and Rafale Marine fighter jets have been operating from aircraft carriers but are rigged for catapult launches. Extensive tests and software analysis have been conducted by the French and US companies to show that they can operate with a meaningful load from ski-jump carriers.

is still unclear how the Indian side will categorise the purchase--as a direct foreign purchase or with an offset clause that mandates a proportion of the manufacturing will have to be domestic.

 economictimes