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India, desperate to modernise its largely Soviet-era fighter jet fleet to boost its air power, is concerned about Russian supply delays due to the Ukraine war and faces pressure from the West to distance itself from Moscow.

The American delegation to the week-long Aero India show in Bengaluru, which ended on 17 February, was the biggest in the 27-year history of the show and underlines the growing strategic relationship between the United States and India.

In contrast, Russia, India’s largest weapons supplier since the Soviet Union days, had a nominal presence. Its state-owned weapons exporter Rosoboronexport had a joint stall with United Aircraft and Almaz-Antey, displaying miniature models of aircraft, trucks, radars and tanks.

At previous editions of the show, Rosoboronexport had a more central position for its stall, although Russia has not brought a fighter jet to Bengaluru for a decade after India began considering more European and U.S. fighter jets.

Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets have already entered the race to supply fighter jets for the Indian Navy’s second aircraft carrier and Lockheed Martin’s F-21, an upgraded F-16 designed for India unveiled at Aero India in 2019, are also being offered to the air force.

A $20 billion air force proposal to buy 114 multi-role fighter aircraft has been pending for five years, brought into sharp focus by tensions with China and Pakistan.

The F-35 is not being considered by India “as of now”, according to an Indian Air Force (IAF) source, but the display of two F-35s at Aero India for the first time was a sign of New Delhi’s growing strategic importance to Washington.

The United States is selective about which countries it allows to buy the F-35. When asked if it would be offered to India, Rear Admiral Michael L. Baker, defence attache at the U.S. embassy in India, said New Delhi was in the “very early stages” of considering whether it wanted the plane.

The United States has approved arms sales worth more than $6 billion to India in the last six years, including transport aircraft, Apache, Chinook and MH-60 helicopters, missiles, air defence systems, naval guns and P-8I Poseidon surveillance aircraft.

India also wants to manufacture more defence equipment at home in collaboration with global giants, first to meet its own needs and eventually to export sophisticated weapons platforms.

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The Super Hornets are US-made while the Rafale is manufactured by France. The Navy needs 26 jets for the two aircraft carriers — INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant.

The Navy has carried out trials of both the aircraft from its shore-based facility, INS Hansa in Goa, which is a replica of an aircraft carrier deck.

“The trial team submitted its report to the Naval headquarters recently after carrying out extensive trials at its Goa-based facility. The evaluation process is at an advanced stage and is expected to be completed very soon,” top government sources told India Today TV.

The two contenders in the tender have given extensive details of their planes to the Navy and all the issues would be taken into consideration before arriving at the plane to be shortlisted for the carrier-based operations, they said.

The jets are required for operations on the INS Vikrant aircraft carrier as the MiG-29s are found to be sufficient only for the operational readiness requirements of the first aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, the sources added.

INS Vikrant is without an element of fighter aircraft as trials are supposed to be conducted by the end of this year. The Navy earlier required 57 planes for operations on both the carriers, but the requirement was cut short by more than half in support of indigenous planes.

The Navy is looking at getting the 26 aircraft within three years of the order being placed. Out of the 26, the Navy wants eight two-seaters for training purposes. However, the Rafale is a single-seater, while the Super Hornet comes in both configurations.

One advantage that the Super Hornet has over the Rafale is the foldable wings, which reduce its wing span from 44 feet to 30 feet, making it more flexible to be accommodated. The Super Hornet can carry four anti-ship missiles compared to one on the Rafale. The Super Hornet with a maximum take off weight is 29,900 kg, while the Rafale is 24,500 kg.

Sources said once the Navy zeroes in on the choice, it will likely be a government-to-government deal like the one for getting 36 Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force.

The navy is looking at an aircraft that can operate from both STOBAR (Short take off- but arrested recovery) and CATOBAR (Catapult Take-off but arrested recovery) aircraft carriers. The STOBAR carriers come with a ski-jump ramp while the CATOBARs are flat deck. Indian Navy’s two carriers INS Vikramaditya and newly inducted INS Vikrant are both STOBAR carriers. The third carrier under planning is likely to be a CATOBAR and keeping that in mind, the navy’s requirement is to have a fighter jet that can operate from both, as the current MiG 29s are limited to the two STOBAR carriers of the Indian Navy.

A CATOBAR carrier can have a bigger impact as it increases range, has more weapons and can operate a variety of aircraft.

Super Hornet and Rafale are suited for CATOBAR carriers but the tests that have taken place are from the navy’s shore-based facility in Goa that has a ski-jump and is identical to the two aircraft carriers India has.

The original Navy plan was to buy 57 fighters but there have been delays. Sources said now the navy is speeding up the process for the critical acquisition of at least 26 aircraft. The Navy currently has a fleet of 40 plus MiG 29 K aircraft but will need replacement at some point of time. With 18-20 aircraft operating from each carrier if a third one indeed gets a go-ahead surely more fighters would be needed. In the Indian Navy’s plans is a third carrier, even though it might be a distant dream as of now. The MiG 29 Ks were inducted in 2010 and the first squadron commissioned in 2013 to operate from INS Vikramaditya.

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The MRFA deal entails the procuring of 114 modern multi-role fighters by the IAF to develop and advance its squadron. Cumulatively, the deal is amongst the largest purchase plans for fighter aircraft, valued at nearly $20 billion.

While the deal has been under discussion since 2018, the details are being deliberated by the Union government again. ThePrint had earlier reported that the deal is likely to head towards a split, with the government inclined to place orders for fighters in at least two batches.

This would entail 18 bought off the shelf, while another 36 would be manufactured in India through a joint venture. The order for the remaining 60 more would then be placed with the joint venture.

Even though French fighter craft Rafale is the frontrunner to win the mega deal, since its already in use by the IAF, four others are also in contention — Boeing’s F-15EX and F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet, Saab’s JAS-39 Gripen and Lockheed Martin’s F-21.

Of these, the F 21 and Gripen are single-engine aircraft, while the rest are twin-engines. While the single-engine fighters are cheaper, it is not known whether that will be a consideration for the IAF acquisition.

ThePrint looks at the features of the fighters under discussion.

Rafale
The main contender is the Rafale fighter which the IAF is already accustomed to, since 36 of these fighters, bought under a 2016 government to government deal and costing Euro 7.8 billion — are already in use by the IAF.

Known as an omnirole aircraft — one which can conduct complex combat assignments, including ground attacks, beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air combats or interceptions, during the same sortie — the Rafale fighter is a ‘4.5 generation aircraft‘, with a top speed of 1.8 Mach, nearly double the speed of sound.

It is the most potent aircraft currently in use by the IAF, in terms of range, radar and weaponry.

The Rafale is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multi-role fighter aircraft, fit for varied purposes, such as reconnaissance, providing ground support to troops, in-depth strikes, and anti-ship strikes.

The Rafale has a ferry range of 3,700 km and is equipped with internal and external fuel tanks.

In terms of weaponry, the Rafale has 14 hard points to carry different types of missiles, including the the Meteor air-to-air missiles — which come with a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) of about 150 KMs and the deadly air to surface Scalp which has a range of over 500 KMs.

The Rafale has been used by the French Air Force in multiple campaigns across Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, the Central African Republic, Iraq and Syria.

F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet
Recently featured in the superhit Hollywood film Top Gun: Maverick — which shows actor Tom Cruise manoeuvering the craft to evade enemy’s surface-to-air missiles whilst fulfilling a seemingly impossible mission — the F/A-18 Bock III Super Hornet is being touted as a “game-changer” for Indian military, if acquired.

The F/A-18 has been the leading aircraft for the US Navy for nearly four decades. It is designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft and Block III is its latest version. Currently, the US Navy has over 700 F/A-18s, which are operational worldwide. The original Block I Hornet was introduced into service in 1984.

The version under consideration by the IAF— the F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet — is a twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft.

Block III comes in two versions, the F/A-18 E which is a single-seater and the double-seater F/A-18 F. Both versions have been built for high-loading and high-stress operations.

A major upgrade in the Block III, from the earlier F/A-18, is its “advanced cockpit system”, which is operated via a customisable 10×19-inch touch screen. Essentially, this system has replaced hard displays in the cockpit with iPad-like features. This enables smoother flight operations and decision-making, giving the pilot more time to assess the battlefield.

Further, to store weapons, Block III has an “enclosed, external weapons pod built to carry up to 2,500-pounds of weapons”. From the pod, various missiles and bombs can be fired, which include the “AIM 9X Sidewinder air-to-air missile, the AIM 120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (an air-to-ground missile), the Small Diameter Bomb and the Mark-84 bomb, among others”.

Block III has a life of approximately 10,000 flying hours. However, the drawback is that the F/A-18s lack stealth capabilities.

Boeing is waiting for the IAF to come out with its technical requirements before deciding whether they will offer the Super Hornet or the F-15 EX.

F-15 EX
The F-15 EX is the upgraded replacement of the F-15C. It is referred to as the “Eagle-II”. The F-15 EX is also developed by Boeing and is another contender from their portfolio for the MRFA.

The original F-15s were first deployed by the United States Air Force in the mid-1970s. Today’s version includes multiple upgrades and enhancements.

Specifically, the F-15EX includes enhancements to “manoeuvrability, acceleration, durability, computing power, and weapons carriage ability of the F-15C”.

According to Boeing, the F-15 EX “includes a best-in-class payload, range and speed”. Payload refers to the carrying capacity of a jet, including cargo, munitions, etc.

An article published in the Air Force Magazine claimed that the advanced specs of the Eagle-II entail “digital fly-by-wire flight controls, a large area display glass-cockpit, and an APG-82 AESA radar”.

Further, the F-15EX is built with an open mission system software, which allows the operating network of the fighters to undergo rapid upgrades and capability enhancements. Ensuring it is never outdated from the latest standards in the industry.

The Congressional Research Service (CRS), a public policy research institute of the US Congress, explains that the F-15EX have “stronger airframes, more powerful processors and advanced flight control systems” than any other fighter operated by the United States Air Force.

The F-15EX is capable of firing AMRAAM. The US Air National Guard conducted a successful firing of the AIM-120D AMRAAM from the F-15EX over the Gulf of Mexico in February 2022.

The F-15 EX also boasts a flying life of 20,000 hours, much longer than the average flying time of fighters, which ranges between 6,000-to 8,000 hours.

F-21
The F-21s are a product of the US defence conglomerate Lockheed Martin.

The F-21 is an adapted and advanced version of the F-16 and is specially tweaked by the manufacturer to cater to the needs of the IAF. The F-16 is commonly called the “Fighting Falcon”. However, the F-21 is a fighter on paper and has not been manufactured yet.

The F-21 has been touted as a multi-role fighter. From the original, the F-21 retains the nose-mounted radar fit, wide-view canopy, and a single-engine installation.

The F-21 comprises both single-seater and double-seater variants. It includes three underwing hardpoints (the area on an airframe that is used to carry external and internal load). Two of these hardpoints are for reserve fuel tanks, which can be used in case travel ranges increase.

Further, the F-21 also comes with wingtip missile hardpoints, which like the F-15EX support the AIM-20D AMRAAM. It also entails a triple launcher to fire these AMRAAM missiles.

The F-21 is equipped with a retractable fuel probe, an essential element for IAF fighters to ensure smooth fuelling at their bases.

Saab JAS-39 Gripen
The Saab JAS-39 Gripen is a light, single-engine, multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by Swedish aerospace and defence company, Saab AB.

It was introduced into the Swedish Air Force in 1996 and is described as an “affordable non-stealth aircraft”. According to an article published in The Express, UK, the Swedish Air Force currently operates between 1,000 to 2,000 of these fighters.

The JAS-39 was the first fighter to be loaded and capable of firing the Meteor air-to-air missile, a beyond visual range (BVR) weapon, capable of striking targets up to 150 kilometres.

Different variants of the Gripen can carry different loads of meteor missiles. The Gripen-C can carry four, whereas the Gripen E can carry seven.

Alluding to the modern operating system that the Gripen runs on, Saab’s website explains, “Gripen’s unique avionics architecture is the definition of smart. It means we can reconfigure the inside of Gripen without affecting the airframe. Or put another way, we can rapidly upgrade Gripen’s avionics whenever new technology becomes available.”

Beyond Sweden, the Gripen is currently operational in the Czech Republic, Hungary, South Africa, and Thailand.

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Two Boeing-manufactured F/A-18s will conduct a series of operational demonstrations at the shore-based test facility (SBTF) in Goa, which has a ski-jump to resemble an aircraft carrier’s deck, in the third week of May.

France had similarly showcased its Rafale maritime fighter jets at the SBTF in January. The twin-engine Rafale-M and F/A-18 are in contention for India’s requirement for fighters to operate from the 40,000-tonne IAC, which is to be commissioned as INS Vikrant on August 15 after it finishes its extensive sea trials that are currently under way.

The Navy is “assessing the suitability and capability” of Rafale-M and F/A-18 to fulfil its requirements for at least 26-27 carrier-capable fighters, though the final number is still being worked out for what eventually will be a government-to-government deal.

The IAF has already inducted 35 of the 36 Rafales, contracted under the Rs 59,000 crore deal inked with France in September 2016, with a squadron each being deployed at Ambala and Hasimara.

The Navy in the past has rejected the naval version of the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft, stressing that the single-engine fighter cannot optimally operate from a carrier as of now. The indigenous development of the twin-engine deck based fighter, in turn, will take at least a decade.

India currently has only one aircraft carrier, the 44,500-tonne INS Vikramaditya, inducted from Russia for $2.33 billion in November 2013. Another $2 billion was spent on procuring 45 supersonic MiG-29K fighters to operate from its deck, but their serviceability has proved a major problem over the years.

Though the IAC will be commissioned this year, it will become fully operational only after the requisite fighter and helicopter trials are completed from its deck by around mid-2023.

Aircraft carriers, which are capable of moving over 500 nautical miles in a single day, pack a formidable offensive punch with fighters and other aircraft as well as a wide array of weapons.

China, which now has the world’s largest Navy, is fast constructing two more aircraft carriers to add to its two existing ones. China eventually wants to have 10 carriers as “symbols of a great nation”. The US Navy, in turn, has 11 “super” 100,00-tonne nuclear-powered carriers, each of which carries 80-90 fighters and aircraft.

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The competition to initially supply 26 jets (18 single seaters and eight twin-seat trainers) to the Indian Navy is being processed under a government-to-government mode, with requests for an operational demonstration sent to the US and French embassies.

The French Rafale M has already conducted a series of trials at the Shore Based Test Facility in Goa and the US F/A 18 Super Hornet will follow suit, with its developers saying that all issues with the aircraft, including the ability to lower it into the hangar of the Indian aircraft carrier, have been resolved.

“Boeing has developed a capability specifically for the F/A-18 Super Hornet that will allow for the faster movement of the aircraft between the flight deck and hangar deck without having to remove or modify any part of the aircraft,” said Surendra Ahuja, managing director, Boeing Defense India.

Ahuja, a former Indian Navy test pilot who retired at the rank of rear admiral, added that the fighter will be able to fit the elevator onboard Indian carriers – a critical requirement for the navy as the current design is suited for smaller aircraft like the MiG 29Ks that are in service. “This capability is compatible with the current elevator configuration aboard Indian aircraft carriers,” he said.

The French side has also resolved the problem, with a solution that requires removing a part of the wing of the Rafale before it can fit the carrier elevator. It is important to move carrier-borne jets into the hangar for maintenance works as well as to create space for other equipment and aircraft on the flight deck.

The US side says that it has also shared data collected during a shore-based test of the F/A Super Hornet from a ski jump conducted in December 2020 with the Indian Navy. “This extensive data has been utilised to model the performance to demonstrate the ability of the Super Hornet to meet or exceed Indian Navy ski jump requirements ahead of Super Hornet’s operational demonstration that will be conducted in Goa within the next few months,” said Alain Garcia, vice president, Boeing Defense.

The Indian Navy currently relies on the Russian-origin MiG 29K fighter jets that can take off from the ski jump flight deck of the INS Vikramaditya as well as the under tests aircraft carrier Vikrant. The new fighter requirement is for the Vikrant but aircraft available globally are designed to fly with a catapult-assisted launch system. The ski jump tests being conducted in Goa will determine if these aircraft can be suitable for the Indian Navy requirements.

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