Indian Navy more likely to select F 18 than rafales

Super falcon

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And why US will grant us that (condition-free)?
Let's face it: how much leverage we are, or we have, to US?
As said, I give current GoI credit for best geopolitical decision - esp such a strategic one which is of the most important ones since our independence (NOT just about a weapon system). Nevertheless, I believe it will need extreme effort, and price, perhaps ever-seen in history, to get that.
I think if any current retired AC from USA has to offer to India if it cost 15 billion with F 18 fighter jet and maintance cost India should take it because USA aircraft are cost effective than your both AC combined because they are nuke power need one refueling for next 20 yrs no fuel cost add up and they are proven and come up with catapult launch system so you can add up fixed wing E 2D Hawk eye system better than K 31 Aewc which u are using and can carry more jet reliable even cost is 20 billion which u pay once for next 20 yrs
 

Super falcon

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Indian navy will pick F 18 unofficial reports from inside soon they will make it official
 

Super falcon

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Boeing president already convinced modi and USA AID came at nick of time France won't offer such perks
 

WolfPack86

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FIRST PHOTOS OF F/A-18 FIGHTERS UNDERGOING SKI JUMP TESTS IN GOA TO CHECK COMPATIBILITY WITH INDIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
Two Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters are undergoing trials at the shore-based test facility at INS Hansa in Goa to showcase their compatibility and suitability to operate from Indian aircraft carriers.

The aircraft landed in Goa last week for tests from a mock-up of the ski jump platform of the kind that Indian aircraft carriers have.

The first photos of the fighters, undergoing testing since 23 May, have emerged on Twitter.

The fighters are likely to remain in Goa up to the first week of June.

Time for some Super Hornet action!!

Indian Navy’s Fighter Requirement

The F/A-18 is in service with the US Navy, which uses it from its nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Unlike India's two carriers, which use ski-jump (short take-off but arrested recovery or STOBAR) to help aircraft take off from their decks, US carriers use catapult-assisted take-off (catapult assisted take-off but arrested recovery or CATOBAR).

To be considered by the Indian Navy as a replacement for its MiG-29K fleet, the fighter will have to demonstrate the ability to take off in the STOBAR setting. The Super Hornet has already demonstrated the capability, Boeing says. An F/A-18 fighter took off using a ski-jump platform constructed at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland in August 2020.

Rafale-M, the other fighter in the race for the Indian Navy deal, has already undergone testing at the shore-based facility at INS Hansa earlier this year.

Unsatisfied with the performance of its MiG-29Ks, the Indian Navy has expressed interest in buying new fighters for its carriers. Moreover, with the induction of Vikrant on 15 August this year (2022), the Indian Navy will have two aircraft carriers but not enough fighters to keep both warships operational, experts have pointed out.

In 2017, the navy had said it would buy 57 new fighters for its air arm. However, the number has now been cut to 36 because India is developing its own deck-based fighter aircraft — Twin-Engine Carrier-Based Deck Fighter or TEDBF — and due to financial constraints.

Boeing's Bid

The F/A-18 Super Hornet Block-III, Boeing says, will give the Indian Navy unique and differentiated capability in the form of an advanced, combat-proven, multi-role naval fighter that is fully compatible with the Indian Navy carriers. Making a strong pitch for F/A-18, vice president of Boeing's India Business Development Alain Garcia has said the aircraft has been specifically designed from its inception for carrier operations and will meet the performance requirements of the Indian Navy.

"This has been proven by our successful ski-jump tests conducted in 2020 and extensive simulation studies. Additionally, we will also prove that further with operational demonstrations in India in May and June," Garcia told the Press Trust of India in an interview in April.

“The Block-III Super Hornet comes with advanced networking and open architecture design that allow it to work jointly with the Indian Navy’s P-8I and other US-origin assets and rapidly accept new technology to stay ahead of emerging threats,” he added.

"With the latest Block-III configuration, the Super Hornet is suited to protect India's maritime interests, and we anticipate the Super Hornet and P-8I will open up opportunities for greater interoperability between the two navies for a secure Indo-Pacific," Garcia said.

“And lastly, the Super Hornet has an affordable acquisition cost and also costs less per flight hour to operate than any other tactical aircraft in the US forces inventory, including single engine fighters. This is possible because the fighter is designed for ease of maintainability and offers impressive durability,” he told PTI.

Maria Laine, vice president of Boeing’s International Business Development, said that India is one of Boeing’s enduring partners where “we have made strategic investments and will continue to do so in the future”. The company has 3,500 employees in India and more than 7,000 people working with its supply chain partners.

“We’ve made the latest investment outside of India in Boeing’s India Engineering and Technology Centre at USD 200 million and have a wholly-owned engineering and technology campus with future avionics manufacturing and assembly capability that is coming up in Bengaluru,” Laine told PTI.

“Over 275 Indian suppliers deliver components, parts and complex assemblies for Boeing’s commercial and defence aircraft, including the F/A-18, F-15, P-8, Apache, Chinook, C-17 and T-7,” she said.

TATA Boeing Aerospace Limited (TBAL), the joint venture between Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems, has been producing aero-structures for Boeing’s AH-64 Apache helicopter and recently delivered its 140th AH-64 Apache fuselage from its 14,000 square metres state-of-the-art facility in Hyderabad.

TBAL is also manufacturing 737 Vertical Fin structures, a complex structural part, on a new production line will utilize cutting-edge robotics and automation, said the Boeing official.

“On the defence side, we are delivering services that ensure high availability of our customers’ fleets at competitive costs. We work with the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy to provide operational capability and readiness for Boeing aircraft,” Laine said.
 

Super Flanker

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How many Carrier based planes is the Indian Navy planning on acquiring? 18? 36?
 

Super Flanker

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If we in the end acquire FA-18 SH from US than we should also try and see if the US will provide us with the EW Variant of FA-18 Known as ."Growler".

Here is some official INFO about it from Boeing :
The EA-18G Growler aircraft is an advanced version of the F/A-18F Super Hornet. Credit: Boeing. The aircraft can support electronic missions and carry weapons for conventional strikes.

As of now, only Australia and US Operate EA-18G Growler
 

space marine

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If we in the end acquire FA-18 SH from US than we should also try and see if the US will provide us with the EW Variant of FA-18 Known as ."Growler".

Here is some official INFO about it from Boeing :
The EA-18G Growler aircraft is an advanced version of the F/A-18F Super Hornet. Credit: Boeing. The aircraft can support electronic missions and carry weapons for conventional strikes.

As of now, only Australia and US Operate EA-18G Growler
5 or 6 Growlers wont make much difference although a very potent asset.
 

Super Flanker

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25 ... Rafale M F4 should be the choice no point adding legacy american fighters when they dont want to share F35s.
F-18 has nothing over Rafale nothing
FA-18 is Superior to the Rafale-M and far better than it. Here see what @Wisemarko had written, I will Copypaste it here for you.

Three significant advantages of F-18E/F block III
1. GaN based AN/APG-79 radar with unmatched performance. (More peak power, more TRM, newer generation than RBE-AA)
2. Twin seater deck capacity: allows seamless F-18 training from AC and not some land based facility. Rafale-M is single seat only and its twin seater version will only be based on shore.
3. High level data exchange/ integration with P-8I/MH-60/ Sea Guardian drones. That's because they all are US made and currently used by USN in that configuration.

Additionally, lower price, folding wings, NATO weapons compatibility, dedicated EW (Growler) option, anti-radiation missiles - do not exist on Rafale.
 

Super Flanker

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5 or 6 Growlers wont make much difference although a very potent asset.
Why just 5-6 Growlers only? We could buy a whole squadron of these for the Indian Airforce. Such EW assets would be very useful against PAF and PLAAF.
 

space marine

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FA-18 is Superior to the Rafale-M and far better than it. Here see what @Wisemarko had written, I will Copypaste it here for you.

Three significant advantages of F-18E/F block III
1. GaN based AN/APG-79 radar with unmatched performance. (More peak power, more TRM, newer generation than RBE-AA)
2. Twin seater deck capacity: allows seamless F-18 training from AC and not some land based facility. Rafale-M is single seat only and its twin seater version will only be based on shore.
3. High level data exchange/ integration with P-8I/MH-60/ Sea Guardian drones. That's because they all are US made and currently used by USN in that configuration.

Additionally, lower price, folding wings, NATO weapons compatibility, dedicated EW (Growler) option, anti-radiation missiles - do not exist on Rafale.
F4 config will come with Gan based aesa and Rafale is more poised for passive detection.
F18s will lose here 1 on 1 will be detected first and Meteor will do its work.
Rafale is much newer deisgn agaonst F18

Rafale training regime can be borrowed from IAF its lose selling point.

Rafale comes with all Nato standard comm links if we chose to we didnt even chose nato standard for our P8Is

Again Nato standard has Rafale covered if we want to go that route but we wont.
Lower price yes but with higher strategic independence
 

space marine

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Why just 5-6 Growlers only? We could buy a whole squadron of these for the Indian Airforce. Such EW assets would be very useful against PAF and PLAAF.
Growler needs whole americqn eco system to work like it works for USAF.
Australia even though has american partial eco system Growler wont be operating on same efficiency.
Unless IAF is not going for American Awacs, American Fighters and American numerous support systems Growler will not be that much of a factor in changin air dynamics against F18.

F18 failed to perform in ladakh trials where onlh Typhoon and Rafale worked during MRCA trials keep that in mind.
 

FactsPlease

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Guys, two different matters:
1) single plan vs single plan, i.e. NO network, NO growler, NO twin seats matter, absolutely NOTHING else
2) a full weapon system vs another one, i.e. covering everything above
And 2) is the point of so-called "strategic" decision: are we going to "buy in" (allow ourselves full addiction to ) that "full weapon system" - and that addiction may go for several decades till full self-reliance, if NO interfere just like what USA is playing on China now).
 

Marliii

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If rafale wins that means dasault would have to make these fighters right?
 

SKC

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This will be a disaster. The Navy should be pressured to buy Rafales-Ms. We will have parts commonality with existing Rafales of IAF. Buying SH will only create a new logistical challenge.

We need to teach our forces the advantages of logistical efficiency. This concept of having a zoo has only been a mess.
I don't understand this much love for Rafale-M! The standard air-force version is great that I agree but Rafale-M is no where near SH.
Addition of new plane does not mean logistical challenge always. US has robust Military-Industrial complex. You will logistic much easier and cheaper than others.
Indian Navy has already burned their hands with fragile Mig-29Ks which were first put to use wiht us. We are not a Beta test platform for such product. No need to do Beta testing of Rafale-M too.
Go get a proven platform for Vikrant.
 

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