Lt. Jonathan “Brawny” Williams of the U.S. Navy demonstrating ski jump take-off by F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III on August 18, 2020 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland in the U.S. | Photo: U.S. Navy/Erik Hildebrandt
U.S. defence and aerospace company Boeing will be featuring their F-15EX and F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III fighters at the biennial DefExpo 2022 to be held in Gandhinagar next week.
Their exhibit will include a simulator where ‘visitors will be able to experience virtually, flying the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III on a simulator’ according to the company, ‘and learn more about its ability to conduct a wide range of missions, carrier-based aviation, and superior capabilities’.
While the F/A-18 Super Hornet is being offered for the Indian Navy’s carrier-borne fighter jet requirement, it is also a candidate, along with the F-15, for Boeing’s offer for the Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter requirement.
Salil Gupte, president of Boeing India, was quoted in a company statement saying, “India is at the front and centre of significant opportunities for Boeing with our proven portfolio of products and services, offering unmatched operational capabilities to India’s defence forces across the entire mission spectrum and through their product lifecycle.”
Boeing will also exhibit the CH-47F(I) Chinook and AH-64E Apache helicopters, in addition to the P-8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft, all of which are already in service in India. “India already operates 11 C-17s, 22 AH-64 Apaches (with six more on order), 15 CH-47 Chinooks, 12 P-8Is, three VVIP aircraft and two Head of State aircraft,” said the statement.
Finally, the company will also be offering details about its KC-46 tanker transport aircraft.
The statement said that Boeing has ‘more than 275 partners in India’ for its supply chain and ‘a joint venture to manufacture fuselages for Apache helicopters and vertical fin structures for the 737 family of airplanes’.
“Annual sourcing from India stands at approximately $1 billion,” which the company said it is ‘steadily increasing’, adding, “Boeing currently employs 3,500 people in India, and more than 7,000 people work with its supply chain partners.”
