Rafale and F 18 super hornet shortlisted by Indian navy

WolfPack86

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INDIAN NAVY EVALUATING TRIAL REPORT OF RAFALE, F-18 FOR USD 5 BILLION FIGHTER JET DEAL
New Delhi:
In the USD 5 billion tenders to buy 26 combat aircraft, the report of the extensive trials of the French Rafale and American F-18 planes is being evaluated by the Indian Navy headquarters.


The aircraft is planned to be acquired under a government-to-government deal by the Navy for operations from its latest aircraft carrier INS Vikrant commissioned recently by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kochi.

"The extensive trial was held by a naval team in Goa for both the fighter aircraft Rafale and F-18. The report is with the headquarters and is being eventuated for final shortlisting," l government sources told ANI.

The evaluation is to see whether the aircraft has met the technical specifications of the naval requirements or not, they said.

The American aircraft are built for carriers weighing around one lakh tonnes while the French Rafale is made for 60,000 tonne-size carriers.

The Navy has MiG-29Ks which operate from the INS Vikramaditya and also don't have a very strong serviceability record and their numbers are considered to be sufficient only for one carrier.

The trial report would determine the winner of the competition which was earlier planned for around 57 planes but now has been reduced to 26 only.

The last time these two planes took part in an Indian tender, the Rafale had emerged as a winner but that deal could not be completed due to technical issues.

However, based on the final selection of the previous deal, the government acquired 36 Rafales which played a big role during the deployment against china in eastern Ladakh and other areas.

The American side has been claiming that it has improved the performance and capabilities of the plane compared to the last competition saying that they have met all requirements of the Indian Navy.
 

SilentlAssassin265

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Have any of this two jets landed on our carrier, I heard that the russian tailhook is not compatible with western jets
 

abingdonboy

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Have any of this two jets landed on our carrier, I heard that the russian tailhook is not compatible with western jets
Out of nowhere this issue with the Russian arrestor gear being incompatible with the Rafale/F18 emerged.

possibly the clowns that ‘reported’ this meant to say the restraining gear system used on the 2 carriers is only certified for the 29K and NLCA which is true. Considering the MTOW of the Rafale and 29K are almost identical I can’t see how the arrestor gear would have an issue
 

Alamarathan

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Alamarathan

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Something like ~90% as far as I’ve seen
What is the total number of fighters procured under mrcbf?
Iirc,i read that recently they cut down the size of the tender,so im wondering will it be off the shelf order or is there any possibility for domestic production?
 

johnj

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What is the total number of fighters procured under mrcbf?
Iirc,i read that recently they cut down the size of the tender,so im wondering will it be off the shelf order or is there any possibility for domestic production?
I think, from 57 to 26.
Also I think, except arrestor hook, landing gear, additional equipment for carrier operations both AF & navy version having same parts, like f35 a & c for French.
 

abingdonboy

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To be taken with a bucket of salt and this is far short of a contract (that is a LONG way out) but it’s utterly hilarious that the consensus was the F18 was the favourite based on made up talking points that I’m 100% sure were spread by Boeing

Rafale was always the most logical option, I’m still not convinced a contract is ever signed but I said from day 1 Rafale is the only player in town, ditto MRFA (that has even less chance of becoming a reality)
 

abingdonboy

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FactsPlease

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For US themselves, it's already over for SH18 :

It is a plant where are produced components for SH....
Best case scenario IN MRCBF deal would be signed in 2024/5, F18 was never going to be a contender
Time is not on Rafale's side, either.
By 2024/5, there will be ~150 more J20 inducted. The pressure to have a much beyond "good-enough" ac, at limited numbers procured, is only getting bigger.
-- pls don't drag me into this 4.5G vs ~5G debate. As long as India is spending hard-earned, tax-payer's money, definitely need to get an absolute technically-overwhelming fighter.
And, MWF and/or AMCA are stepping on Rafale's heel, too. If those promises from ADA can be counted on, soon people will start to argue cost/benefit of MWF/AMCA v.s. Rafale.
I had always supported to get more Rafale, but only in the condition of "No matter what we do, better do it fast." In other words, time, is both booster and blower for Rafale to win any further deal.
 

abingdonboy

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Time is not on Rafale's side, either.
By 2024/5, there will be ~150 more J20 inducted. The pressure to have a much beyond "good-enough" ac, at limited numbers procured, is only getting bigger.
-- pls don't drag me into this 4.5G vs ~5G debate. As long as India is spending hard-earned, tax-payer's money, definitely need to get an absolute technically-overwhelming fighter.
And, MWF and/or AMCA are stepping on Rafale's heel, too. If those promises from ADA can be counted on, soon people will start to argue cost/benefit of MWF/AMCA v.s. Rafale.
I had always supported to get more Rafale, but only in the condition of "No matter what we do, better do it fast." In other words, time, is both booster and blower for Rafale to win any further deal.
You’re talking about MRFA

for this contest, MRCBF, Rafale is the only game in town. The domestic competition is TEDBF but that’s throughly a post 2035 effort so 2 carriers have to limp on with <40 junk MiGs for the next ~12+ Years

I’m not overly convinced the Rafale/MRCBF deal ever becomes a reality myself but don’t conflate things.

as for Rafale Vs J-20, Rafale has the technological supremacy in the entire region for at least another decade or so, Dassualt are not sitting still on it (which pretty much all of the other MRFA contenders are)
 

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Indrajit

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That's $232M per plane. I hope that includes lifecycle costs, spares, training, support materials, and munitions for the lifespan of the plane.
I have seen different figures in other publications but I always have a sneaky suspicion that the amount involved includes stuff not mentioned in public.
 

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