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- On 28th January, 2021, Boeing received a license from the U.S. government to offer its F-15EX fighter jet to the Indian air force.
- Boeing will compete with Sweden’s Gripen and France’s Rafale among others for the Indian Air Force’s plan to buy 114 multi-role aircraft to replace its Soviet-era fleet.
- After evaluating options from global manufacturers, IAF is expected to go to the Defence Ministry for the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) to begin the procurement process.
- Boeing can now offer and discuss the F-15 EX to the IAF.
- Earlier, the conversation on this was happening between the IAF and the U.S. Air Force.
The Prospects
- India and the United States have built close defence ties, with the Indian military buying over $20 billion worth of weapons in the last 15 years.
- Lockheed Martin is also pitching its F-21 fighter to the Indian air force.
- They have offered to build the plane in India, in order to win the deal estimated to be worth more than $18 billion.
The F-15 EX
- The F-15EX is a fourth-generation-plus aircraft.
- This means it’s more advanced than previous F-15s, but doesn’t have the same features as fifth-generation aircraft like the F-35 (Lockheed-Martin).
- Boeing has been promoting the F-15EX as an affordable back-up option for the expensive F-35.
- The F-15EX is based on the F-15E variants sold to Qatar and Saudi Arabia in the past decade.
- F-15EX is significantly larger than the Super Hornet and Rafale and well over twice the size of the Gripen E/F offered by Sweden’s Saab.
- F-15EX can carry nearly 30,000 pounds of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.
- F-35 can only carry 5,700 pounds, according manufacturer Lockheed-Martin.
- F-35s carry weapons in an internal bay to maintain its radar stealth profile.
- The F-15EX reportedly has a maximum take-off weight of about 36 tonnes, close to that of the Su-30MKI.
- Boeing claims the F-15EX can carry over 13 tonnes of weapons and fuel tanks under its wings and fuselage, which is well over the Rafale’s publicised payload capacity of 9.5 tonnes.
- The jets will be loaded with Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS) — an electronic warfare and threat identification system.
- According to official releases from Boeing and the U.S. Air Force, the F-15 Eagle has a clear-cut win-to-loss ratio of 104 to zero.
- However, opposing air forces have claimed to have shot it down more than 12 times.
- Boeing is active in India for both its defence and commercial aviation businesses, even as the COVID-19 pandemic has hit demand for air travel.
- Boeing expects domestic passenger traffic to return to pre-COVID levels by the end of 2021, and international traffic only by 2023.
- One of the Boeing’s biggest customers is Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet, which has a large order for its narrowbody 737 MAX
- On 27th January, 2021, Boeing got the green light from the
- European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
- to return its 737 MAX planes to service after a 22-month ban.
- It is now working to get approvals from the Indian regulator.
- Boeing will start manufacturing the six AH-64 Apache attack helicopters for the Army, in India this year.
- The Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited facility (in Telangana) has been producing aero-structures for Boeing’s AH-64 Apache helicopter, including fuselages, secondary structures and vertical spar boxes for international customers.
- India had initially contracted 22 AH-64 Apaches from Boeing for the IAF.
- Later exercised the optional clause for six more for the Army, and the deal was signed in early 2020.
- After the initial manufacture in India, the Apaches would be sent to the U.S. for outfitting with electronics and other systems.
- Boeing is also working to deliver three P-8I long range maritime patrol aircraft to the Navy, in 2021.
- The Indian Navy is using the P-8Is even more than the U.S. Navy.
- The P-8I particularly cater to maritime patrolling.
- It can carry 129 sonobuoys to locate subs — turns into a submarine destroyer that can also launch anti-ship missiles.
- The aircraft is designed in such a way that it can share real-time operational intelligence with other P-8 aircraft.
- The aircraft has Harpoon Block II air-launched missiles and lightweight torpedoes
- The Navy had initially procured eight P-8Is in a $2.2-billion deal in 2009.
- The aircraft are part of the 312A Naval Air Squadron based at Arakkonam.
- In 2016, the Navy exercised the optional clause for four more P-8Is in a deal worth over $1billion.
- The first of the four aircraft was delivered in October, 2020.
- Boeing is also in the process of setting up a 60,000-sq. ft. training support and data handling centre at INS Rajali, Arakkonam.
- A secondary centre will be built at the Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology (NIAT), Kochi.
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