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F/A-18 Super Hornet: Ready to serve on India’s New Aircraft Carrier? Boeing has an edge

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 5/20/2022 3:33:32 PM

New Delhi,May 19 For the past two decades, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet has served as the backbone of the United States Navy’s carrier air wing. The twin-engine multirole fighter was developed to perform virtually every mission in the tactical spectrum, including air superiority, day/night strike with precisionguided weapons, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy air defences, maritime strike, reconnaissance, forward air control, and tanker missions. The aircraft has also been adopted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), and soon Super Hornets could be operating off the flight decks of the Indian Navy’s indigenously-built flagship aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. This month, India will begin flight trials of the Boeing-made aircraft at the shore-based test facility (SBTF) at INS Hansa in Goa. The F/A-18 is considered to be among the frontrunners for the eventual fighter that will operate from the Vikrant, which will have an airwing that consists of 26 carrierbased multirole combat aircraft. According to a report from the Hindustan Times, two fighters from the U.S. Navy will land in INS Hansa at the end of this week for take-offs from a 283-meter mock-up deck of India’s sole operational carrier INS Vikramaditya. The carrier, which was built for the Soviet Navy before being transferred following the dissolution of the Soviet Union from Ukraine to India, is expected to come out of its major overhaul and resume operations in June. The Super Hornet could have a slight advantage as the United States currently is the largest original equipment manufacturer of military hardware in India, while the F/A-18 has interoperability with Boeing P8-I and Lockheed Martin MH-60 R anti-submarine warfare helicopters purchased by India for the Navy. Such an acquisition would also deepen cooperation with the U.S., by far the largest operator of carrierbased fighters in the world, as well as a QUAD partner and close Indo-Pacific ally. The Indian Navy is expected to buy more than two dozen carrier-based multirole fighters that will make up the airwing of INS Vikrant, with eight of these aircraft two-seaters – the F/A-18F variant – to be used both for flight training and operations. The Super Hornet has an edge in the competition as it is a proven weapon platform, armed with an internal rotary cannon with 11 hardpoints to carry air to air missiles and air to surface missiles as well as laser-guided bunker-busting bombs. The other contender fighter aircraft for service on the INS Vikrant include the French-made Rafale Maritime strike fighter. It was already tested by the Indian Navy in January 2022 with the French offering four aircraft on lease for initial training and operational purposes. India had previously acquired 36 Rafale multi-role fighters for the Indian Air Force with two major maintenance bases in Ambala in the north and Hashimara in West Bengal.