At a time when the Indian Navy is preparing to commission the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, US aerospace major Boeing has made a strong pitch for its F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III fighters as the best deck-based jets to operate from the aircraft carrier. INS Vikrant is likely to be inducted into service as early as next week.

Announcing its roadmap to expand investments in line with the ‘Make in India’ initiative, Boeing said it also plans to transfer advanced technologies to India if its jet is selected.

The Indian Navy had initiated the process of acquiring 57 multi-role combat aircraft for its aircraft carrier over four years ago. It plans to procure 26 aircraft in the next few months. The Navy has shortlisted the F/A-18 Super Hornet and French Rafale M single-seater produced by Dassault Aviation.

Boeing will offer single and two-seater variants to the Indian Navy.

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“The Super Hornet Block III has been built for carrier aircraft operations and it is the fighter that the US Navy depends on for its operations,” The Print quoted Boeing India President Salil Gupte as saying in a press joint conference with the heads of other American companies part of the Hornet team, including General Electric, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon.

What are Super Hornets?

The F/A-18 Super Hornet is a premier frontline naval fighter. The Block III variant is the newest and most advanced tactical aircraft in US Navy inventory. The naval fighter offers unique and differentiated capabilities, which are fully compatible with Indian Navy carriers.

The F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III has been designed as a carrier-based fighter for high-loading, high stress operations and requires minimal support equipment. The jets have the lowest operational cost per flight hour and high mission readiness rates.

At present, it is the frontline fighter for the US Navy with over 700 aircraft in operation around the world.

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In the past four decades, multiple variants of the F-18 have been released, each being a more advanced iteration than the previous one.

The original Block I ‘Hornet’ entered into service in 1984. It was a fourth-generation fighter and was designed in the 1970s. Boeing delivered the Block II Super Hornet in 2005. In 2021, the US Navy accepted delivery of the Block III Super Hornet, which is dubbed as the ‘Super Duper Hornet.’

The Super Hornet comes with a General Electric GE-414 engine. The same family of engines powers the indigenous light combat aircraft.

Capabilities

In July this year, the F/A-18 Super Hornet conducted demonstrations from the shore-based test facility in Goa. The aim of the demonstrations was to showcase its compatibility with Indian carriers.

“The Block III Super Hornet we are offering to the Indian Navy has the most advanced and critical capability,” Steve Parker, Vice-President and General Manager, Bombers & Fighters, Boeing Defence, Space & Security, said.

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During the demonstrations, two US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornets completed multiple ski-jumps, roll-in and fly-in arrestments. They also conducted performance flights, in a variety of weights in the air-to-air, air-to-ground, and air-to-surface configurations.

In 2020, the Super Hornet had performed eight ski-jumps in various weights and configurations at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River in Maryland to demonstrate its ability to operate from a short take-off but arrested recovery (STOBAR) aircraft carrier.

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Compatibility

Built for carrier operations, the F/A-18 Super Hornet is fully compliant with INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant aircraft carrier, Boeing said on its website. The fighter jets will be able to operate on the deck, in the hangar and on the lifts of the Indian Navy’s aircraft carriers.

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)

First Published:Aug 25, 2022 7:03 PM IST