Boeing gets green light by US govt to offer its F-15EX to Indian Air Force

New Delhi, Jan 29: Boosting Indian Air Force (IAF), Boeing has been given green light by the US government to offer its F-15EX fighter jet to the IAF.

 

Ankur Kanaglekar, the India Fighters Lead at Boeing Defense, Space, and Security, revealed the company had received the marketing license and said that there had already been talks with the Indian government about the F-15EX while speaking with reporters. "Now that we have the marketing licence it allows us to talk to the Indian Air Force directly about the capability of the fighter. We have started doing that in a small way," he said.

 

 

Kanaglekar’s remarks come ahead of the biennial Aero India tradeshow, which opens next week at the Indian Air Force’s Yelahanka Air Force Station outside of the southern Indian city of Bengaluru.

 

 

The F-15 Eagle has a formidable air-to-air combat record of 104-0. Along the way, Boeing developed a ground strike version called the Strike Eagle. Now, equipped with a new cockpit, active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, integrated electronic warfare suite and fused sensors and data links, the F-15EX has been transformed into a multi-role fighter capable of the full range of missions.

 

The aerodynamics of the F-15 have always been top-of-the-line. Capable of flying at Mach 2.5 (two-and-a-half times the speed of sound), the F-15EX is the world’s fastest fighter aircraft. It carries 13.5 tonnes of armament, more than the Rafale or the Sukhoi-30MKI. Its range of 1,200 nautical miles (2,200 kilometres) enables it to strike targets deep inside enemy territory.

 

Based on publicly available US budget figures, the F-15EX costs $80.3 million per fighter, including the cost of its twin engines. However, India wants the aircraft to be built in India, which involves setting up and certifying a new factory and training workers. Besides, seven of the world’s premier fighter manufacturers have already indicated interest in competing for the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) ongoing acquisition of 114 medium fighters -- a contract worth an estimated $20-30 billion.

 

Boeing is bullish on India for both its defence and commercial aviation businesses, even as the COVID-19 pandemic has hit demand for air travel, forcing airlines to first get their finances in order before ordering new planes. It expects domestic passenger traffic to return to 2019 levels by the end of this year, Salil Gupte, the company's India head said, adding international traffic would return to pre-COVID levels only by 2023.

 

India is one of the world’s largest Boeing defence customers. It currently operates 11 C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft, nine P-8I Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft with three more on order, 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, with six more on order and 15 CH-47F Chinooks heavy lift helicopters.

 

Meanwhile, 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.