Boeing's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Enters the Fray for India's MRFA Contract Alongside F-15EX

Boeing has solidified its commitment to securing India's Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) contract by confirming its continued offer of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, alongside the previously announced F-15EX Eagle II. This strategic move not only strengthens Boeing's position in the competition but also provides the Indian Air Force (IAF) with a wider range of options to choose from.

The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, a proven and versatile carrier-based fighter, brings a wealth of combat experience to the table. Its twin-engine design and multirole capabilities make it a formidable asset for various missions, including air-to-air combat, ground strikes, and maritime operations.

By keeping the Super Hornet in contention, Boeing is catering to the IAF's diverse operational requirements. The aircraft's carrier compatibility aligns with India's growing naval ambitions, while its multirole capabilities complement the IAF's existing fleet.

This decision also intensifies the rivalry within the American defense industry, with Lockheed Martin also vying for the contract with its F-21 fighter. Boeing's dual offering further complicates the selection process for the IAF, as it now has to evaluate two distinct American fighter jets, each with its unique strengths and advantages.

The MRFA contract, valued at over $18 billion, is a significant opportunity for Boeing to expand its presence in the Indian defense market. By offering both the Super Hornet and the F-15EX, Boeing is demonstrating its commitment to meeting India's specific defense needs and fostering long-term partnerships.

 

[NSR]

F-15EX carries formidable punch of armaments and is rightfully called BOMB TRUCK all over the world.
It is very popular with many countries airforces.
The latest iteration is a completely revamped one from the original one and also includes latest avionics and Electronic Warfare system.
At $168 millions per fighter is pretty inexpensive but it is not IAF's favorithe though.

Dassault will never sell a Rafale for $168 millions so India may end up ordering additional 36 to 54 Rafales.

MRFA saga never ends.

 

[sanket]

US is trying very hard to win MRFA , But all Three Fighter jets have Old Design & will US allow Integration of Third party & Indigenous weapons . Most important thing is sanctions . US may use it as a pressure tactics .

 

[sunilanalysis]

US is trying very hard to win MRFA , But all Three Fighter jets have Old Design & will US allow Integration of Third party & Indigenous weapons . Most important thing is sanctions . US may use it as a pressure tactics .

USA will not allow integration of Indian weapons atleast... only allows MBDA weapons. Its a headache with sanctions, human rights harassment, better off without USA... French or Russian or Indigenous are more reliable ...

 

[sunilanalysis]

F-15EX carries formidable punch of armaments and is rightfully called BOMB TRUCK all over the world.
It is very popular with many countries airforces.
The latest iteration is a completely revamped one from the original one and also includes latest avionics and Electronic Warfare system.
At $168 millions per fighter is pretty inexpensive but it is not IAF's favorithe though.

Dassault will never sell a Rafale for $168 millions so India may end up ordering additional 36 to 54 Rafales.

MRFA saga never ends.

They also carry excessive human rights harassments, intimidation, sanctions threats... also wont allow domestic missiles integration.

 

[abhinav srivastava]

Lets not be too much dependent on US. They are already encouraging and supporting Khalistani movement in India. As the dependence increases so will be arm twisting.

 

[Sentoki]

What's the point of offering the super hornet for the IAF, when the Indian navy in itself did not opt for the carrier based operations?

It is not a fighter designed or optimized for ground based operations. So why would the IAF opt for it?

Just about the only advantage might be that the the production line that is being shut off in the US after the US Navy contract finishes up can be directly transferred to India within a relatively short space of time.

Even then, Boeing is not going to invest money on engineering changes to optimize it to ground based operations when this will likely be the last ever order for the F/A18. Seems like a whole lot of wishful thinking on Boeing's part

Of course the whole MRFA tamasha is a wishful thinking on the part of IAF but that is a different discussion for a different day....

 

[NSR]

They also carry excessive human rights harassments, intimidation, sanctions threats... also wont allow domestic missiles integration.

Hope that things change after new election in November 2024.

 

[Anubhav Sharma]

If we buy US weapons they will arm twist us for long for spares and our neutral way will no longer remain such,best if french rafael as we already operate them so less time and money on infrastructure and training also they come with no strings attached

 

[Ranjeet Singh]

Boeing should offer F-15EX-II with laser weapons, and perform over Himalayan heights as well as in thin air of TAR sky !

 

[Akhil]

Hope that things change after new election in November 2024.

What will change?

They will never allow Russian/Indian weopon package to install on their platform even if Chintu from pahadganj becomes US president.

 

[Vijigishu ( विजिग्शु )]

Only Rafael is going to be awarded the MRFA contract. Question is when because IAF is losing on time.

 

[Vijigishu ( विजिग्शु )]

Hope that things change after new election in November 2024.

There's no reason it'll change after elections. Just read what kind of hate campaign US media runs against M 0 d1. Any major defence deal with US is big no.

 

[Pramkumar]

Cancel MRFA and invest that $18 billion in MK2 or ORCA

 

[Rudra]

India don't need fighter jet , bat khatam

 

[Anant]

F-15EX carries formidable punch of armaments and is rightfully called BOMB TRUCK all over the world.
It is very popular with many countries airforces.
The latest iteration is a completely revamped one from the original one and also includes latest avionics and Electronic Warfare system.
At $168 millions per fighter is pretty inexpensive but it is not IAF's favorithe though.

Dassault will never sell a Rafale for $168 millions so India may end up ordering additional 36 to 54 Rafales.

MRFA saga never ends.

Um, where did you get that 168 mission USD figure from? The deal proposed for Indonesia was for 36 F-15EX aircraft plus spares at 13.9 billion USD, which amortises to some 386.1 million USD per aircraft. Even if you keep the spares aside for a moment and factor in some discount for a larger purchase, the baseline F-15EX would still cost us over 300 million USD each, which is more expensive than what the Rafale would cost.

 

[Anant]

Boeing should offer F-15EX-II with laser weapons, and perform over Himalayan heights as well as in thin air of TAR sky !

Ask them to offer photon torpedoes as well, why don't you? Laser weapons are not yet small enough to be mounted on fighters, but you still keep saying this to no avail.

 

[Anant]

Cancel MRFA and invest that $18 billion in MK2 or ORCA

You can invest 100 billion USD into the Tejas Mk 2 or AMCA (ORCA doesn't exist), but you wouldn't get much of anything from it. The simple fact of the matter is as follows:

If the operational needs of the IAF are to be maintained, a certain minimum production rate is required. This production rate cannot be achieved by us even if we invest massive sums. There is only so much you can cost crash a project. Yes, a significant improvement is possible from where things are today, but even if you max it out, the IAF will have a 10-15 year critical capability gap, and even more so if there are delays. If you want to avoid that criticality, MRFA is needed. Please do remember that the Tejas Mk 1/1A, Tejas Mk 2, and AMCA will be sharing a lot of components. Scaling up every single supplier in the production supply chain to be able to deliver sufficient numbers of such components on time is not something we can accomplish in 10-15 years. Doing that takes 30-40 years atleast.

MRFA is not a qualitative necessity beyond an extent. It is, however, a critical quantitative necessity.

 

[Anant]

India don't need fighter jet , bat khatam

We don't need fighters? What do you propose we use, then?

 

[NSR]

Um, where did you get that 168 mission USD figure from? The deal proposed for Indonesia was for 36 F-15EX aircraft plus spares at 13.9 billion USD, which amortises to some 386.1 million USD per aircraft. Even if you keep the spares aside for a moment and factor in some discount for a larger purchase, the baseline F-15EX would still cost us over 300 million USD each, which is more expensive than what the Rafale would cost.

Read the story -
Says over $18 billions for 114 MRFA = $168 millions per fighter
I did not invent it.