US F-15EX and F-21 Jets Hold Production Rate Advantage in India's MRFA Tender, Look at What Other Contenders can Deliver

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India's Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) competition is heating up, with global aerospace giants vying to supply the Indian Air Force (IAF) with its next generation of fighter jets.

While technological prowess and capability are paramount, production rate is a critical factor that can significantly impact the timely delivery and overall success of the program.

The IAF seeks to rapidly modernize its fleet and maintain a steady acquisition timeline. This necessitates a supplier with the capacity to meet India's ambitious requirements. Let's examine the production capabilities of the leading MRFA contenders:

American Muscle: F-15EX and F-21​

  • F-15EX (Boeing): Boeing's F-15EX, the latest iteration of the iconic F-15 Eagle, benefits from existing production lines and modernization efforts already underway for the US Air Force. Boeing's St. Louis facility can churn out 24 to 36 F-15EXs annually, with the potential for rapid expansion.
  • F-21 (Lockheed Martin): Lockheed Martin's F-21, a customized variant of the F-16 specifically designed for India, leverages the company's vast experience in high-rate F-16 production. Lockheed Martin has delivered 30-40 F-16s per year at peak production and proposes establishing an Indian production line in collaboration with Tata Advanced Systems, further boosting potential output.

European Contenders: Rafale and Typhoon​

  • Rafale (Dassault Aviation): Dassault Aviation, manufacturer of the Rafale, currently produces 11-15 aircraft per year. While Dassault has consistently met delivery schedules, it operates on a smaller scale than its American counterparts and currently has a production backlog due to 180 Rafale jets order from countries including Egypt, Greece, the UAE, and Indonesia. To meet India's ambitious acquisition timeline, Dassault would need to significantly ramp up production or establish an Indian assembly line.
  • Typhoon (Eurofighter GmbH): With a peak production rate of 20-25 aircraft per year, the Typhoon's production capacity fluctuates based on demand from partner nations. While flexible, establishing a new production line in India would require significant investment and time.

Swedish and Russian Entries: Gripen and Su-35​

  • Gripen E/F (Saab): Designed for rapid scale-up, Saab currently produces 16-20 Gripen E/F jets per year. The proposed technology transfer and local production line in India could significantly increase this capacity.
  • Su-35 (United Aircraft Corporation): Russia's Su-35 faces production limitations due to lower demand and a focus on the newer Su-57. The United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) can produce 10-15 Su-35s annually, but significant expansion would be needed to meet India's requirements.

The American Advantage​

Based on current production capabilities, the F-15EX and F-21 emerge as frontrunners, offering the highest production rates among the contenders. The Gripen E/F and F/A-18 Super Hornet also demonstrate robust production potential. However, the Rafale, Typhoon, and Su-35 may require significant production expansion or Indian partnerships to fulfill the IAF's requirements.

Ultimately, the MRFA decision will hinge on a complex interplay of factors, including capability, technology transfer, and cost. But in the race to equip the IAF with its next generation of fighter jets, production rate will undoubtedly play a crucial role.
 
If only these are the contendors than F15 ex, f21 & rafale are the only competetitor left
 
EF and Gripen can be a good contender because they don't have a big backlog orders...

f15, f21 & f/a18 can stretch more orders. But for me f15ex is the king of all 4gen and 4.5gen nuff said🙃😜

rafale is good too, but it suffer big order backlog and now currently suffer in supply constraint plus might cause price cost overrun

su35s is good but now they are mainly focusing of replacing their old aircraft canon fodders😹😹😹
 
The F-18 lines are closing down, so that type is out of the contention. That leaves the F-16V / F-21, F-15EX, Rafale, Typhoon, Gripen, and Su-35.
 
114 Gripen, ( 2-3 squadrons of F15), Trump will get angry otherwise) and 3-4 squadrons of F35 or SU-57 as a hedge against Pakistan and Chinese 5th gen jets, now the war will be over in a few weeks, all sanctions will be lifted, everything will be back to normal, KA-226, KA-31 all will take off.
 
Too late with Rafale already in service with the IAF and IN also choosing it over the Super Hornet.
 
Best fighter below 5th gen: F-15EX (no brainer)
Cheapest fighter which can help our own: Gripen (since they are willing to do anything for sale)
Geopolitically best: Rafale (but too much backlogs)
Good but complex choice: EF (4 countries)
Useless ones: Su-35, F-21, F-18
 
114 EF Typhoon Tranche 5 LTE + 114 Gripen E/F would make a great choice, as there’s nearly Zero backlog , Rafale’s would have been Ok if we would have bought them 8 years ago, now it’s time and relevance have gone due to exorbitant cost and extended backlogs, , GOI also needs to make both Trump and Putin happy too, so to make Trump happy we will order 2 squadrons each of Apache and Chinook and 1 squadron of V-22 Osprey and may be 1-2 squadrons of MH-60R and 6 more P8’s, and to keep Putin happy we will buy 3 squadrons of SU-57 snd 200 KA-236t as originally planned.
 
The F-18 lines are closing down, so that type is out of the contention. That leaves the F-16V / F-21, F-15EX, Rafale, Typhoon, Gripen, and Su-35.
India considers itself a superpower and began developing fighter jets in the 1980s. 40 years have passed, yet India still wants to purchase fighter jets from foreign countries.
 
Don't repeat this lengthy program again, instead go for a g2g deal for 36-48 Rafaels and similar no of SU57s subject to improvements. 26(IN)+ 26(IN) follow on and 36- 48 for IAF should be enough to start a Rafael assembly line in India.
 
3-4 squadrons of F15 and 114 Gripen-E / EF-Typhoon depending on Cost/ Amount of TOT, now Rafale has become untouchable due to extremely high cost and extended delivery timelines, OR in the worst case, we could also buy and locally make 200 F/A-18’s for both Airforce and Navy, if US sells them for $66Mln/unit fly away cost that USN pays, provided Boeing helps with AMCA.
 
No. If a country wants, it can enter. We are not going to 'request' anyone since it's an open tender.
I don’t know how it works in your country, but in India that’s not how it works. Various companies register with MoD. During an open tender MoD sends the requests to them. They need to pay some money upfront to buy tender documents. So no one can just enter.
 
FA18 and 16 production lines will be closed if not for Indian order
F/A-18 line won't close till 2029 as US Navy has recently ordered, F16 line won't close at-least till 2050 as there are lot of new foreign orders.
 
Too late with Rafale already in service with the IAF and IN also choosing it over the Super Hornet.
but way too little, only 36, we won't buy Rafale for the next 15 year's at-least due to backlog.
 
Anyway I'm gonna advocate for F15EX and Rafale both or 150 units made in India Rafale in MRFA.
 
Don't repeat this lengthy program again, instead go for a g2g deal for 36-48 Rafaels and similar no of SU57s subject to improvements. 26(IN)+ 26(IN) follow on and 36- 48 for IAF should be enough to start a Rafael assembly line in India.
But we won't get Rafale's at-least till 2035 even if we order today, especially G2G purchase, even to start a production line for Rafale it will take a minimum of 3-5 year's, then if they make 12/year we will be getting Rafale's till 2042 when some Countries will be operating 8th or 9th gen Aircraft, also our MK2 production will start exactly at the same time in 2029 when Rafale production will start, both are similar MWF 4.5 gen fighters, then what is the need for Rafale.
 
FA18 and 16 production lines will be closed if not for Indian order
The F-16 line is set to go on till atleast the early 2030s without any new orders. Factor in the orders presently being worked on, and the lines can continue past 2035.

Incidentally, the F-15 and F-16 may well become the first fighter types in history to still be in service a century after their first flight (albeit in modernised form).
 

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