WolfPack86
New Member
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2015
- Messages
- 10,571
- Likes
- 16,993
2010 MCAS Miramar Air Show - F-18 Super Hornet wrapped in a cloud
and why not a F22IN ?? ?It’s Official. India ‘Developing 1 or 2 Make-in-India Fighter Programs’
What lies beyond India’s push for 36 (plus options) Rafale fighters from France? There’s been a great deal of speculation, fuelled mostly by aggressive offers to build fighters in India. The detritus of the M-MRCA campaign threw up a fertile new field simply because India is still nowhere close to operating the number of fighter jets it needs. Aggressive offers to set up brand new fighter production lines in India from Boeing Defense, Lockheed-Martin and Saab have energised the Make-in-India push for the MoD, but it has still remained largely fuzzy.
But now there’s some rare official clarity and it’s right from the top. Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was in Hyderabad today where he presided over the ceremonials at a Boeing-Tata event to establish a new facility that will build, for starters, AH-64 fuselages.
In a short speech, where touched upon the MoD’s Make in India plans, he is reported to have said, “If you want aerospace technology to come here and construct here, though I don’t commit anything for F-18. Let me put the disclaimer, that we are definitely in the process of developing one or two ‘fighter Make in India’ programs.“
It isn’t clear what the Minister means by ‘or or two’, but it certainly means at least one. Talk of an F/A-18 line in the country first blipped up on India’s radar last year when Boeing chairman Jim McNerney spoke about it at the India’s Time To Fly event in Delhi:
'We'd like to build fighters in India'. On stage at@IndiasTimeToFly: @Boeing chairman Jim McNerney.
10:36 AM - 16 Oct 2015
The Minister today didn’t spare a dig at the press too. “When I say ‘disclaimer’, doesn’t mean that you are out. Two incidents that should not be linked with press, as Indian press is very imaginative; that’s why I’m making this statement.”
He has a point. Apart from a couple of reports, including this one in the trusty Stratpost, much of what has been said or written so far about India’s next big fighter contest remains in the realm of speculation, persistently muddied by the bean count of squadron strength requirements and how the MoD traditionally works. The truth is, much has changed, including in the methodologies being embraced by acquisition managers to shore up strength. It patently isn’t about plain numbers anymore — more on that in a future post, shortly.
As things stand, India its a three-way contest between Boeing, Lockheed-Martin and Saab for a highly lucrative Indian production line of their mainstay fighter jets: the F/A-18 Super Hornet, the F-16 Block 60 IN and the Gripen NG.
The Minister was clearly very pleased with the establishment of the new facility, given its a loud bang for the Make in India campaign, a push that has been criticised as largely cosmetic. With a facility that will churn out Apache fuselages for all future global customers eventually, the Minister didn’t hold back on the joy.
“Let me first acknowledge Boeing kept their word. A promise that was given to me after we concluded the Apache and Chinook deal; that after the offset this particular facility will be located in India and by shifting it from the place they already had the facility. Keeping their word, and I always think that those who remember what they say at the time of celebration and complete it afterwards are people to be noted for future references. Let me acknowledge Boeing for this deal,” the Minister said. That’s a lot to say in these grey, turbulent times for contracting.
http://www.livefistdefence.com/2016...ng-1-or-2-make-in-india-fighter-programs.html
Sir, I get your passion in pushing for Rafale. But I think it is obfuscating the fact that this is an F18 thread.Weapons of Rafale :
Magic 2, Mica EM, Mica IR, Meteor (2018)
All range of LGB, AASM Hammer, Scalp, Exocet, nuclear ASMP A (not for sale !)
Maybe tomorrow laser guided rockets and Brimstone.
Indeed ! My mistake.Sir, I get your passion in pushing for Rafale. But I think it is obfuscating the fact that this is an F18 thread.
I agree. SH18 is not a good choice for India as multirole plane.I think Mc Donald Douglas looking market for F-18 in india
nd this is great mulirole jet..
but it's not for india..india have already su-30 mki which is superior than f-18
I agree. SH18 is not a good choice for India as multirole plane.
But Su 30 is more an air superiority airplane than a multirole one.
SH18 is a flying brick.SH is a good choice depending on price and package,
Several reasons, In terms of commonality, we are already interested in F-414 engine for Tejas and AMCA (we have purchased few already) so having SH-18 helps that cause specially for MAKE IN INDIA initiative
SH has better avionics and mature EW package than Rafale and EA-18G Growler is a dedicated EW plane which is what India was looking for a long time.. It is plane that can be used by both land based forces and also carriers hence it helps the cause in case Indian navy wants a navy plane.. It is not a good dogfighter as per its design, but then why would someone want to get into dogfight if has a superior long range weaponry. Many people who talk about Rafale being good in dogfight is correct, but then perhaps that might also be the worry of the french that maybe the missiles of rafale are not that they have to depend on dog fighting.
Thus if you want a good plane with good EW package and excellent Avionics at affordable price .. SH-18
If you want a plane with superior performance with range and ability to dominate enemy air space Su-30 MKI/Su-.35
SH18 is a flying brick.
You will NEVER have access to Growler technology or products. Never. Only reserved for strong ally as Australia, GB, Canada.
Rafale radar is AESA one, able to fire Meteor. This couple will be far more effective than SH + AMRAAM in 2018 (in just 2 small years).