According to respected military publication, The National Interest, it is increasingly looking like the Indian Navy could soon be buying and flying the F/A-18.
During the recent USA-India dialogue, the United States signed a Basic Exchange and Agreement (BECA) for geo-spatial cooperation, and US officials have offered to sell India an advanced version of Boeing-made aircraft along with the unmanned Sea Guardian aircraft.
Given this looming threat from Xi Jinping’s China, which is getting more unhinged with every passing day, it is likely India will reconsider the F/A-18 – despite previous concerns from New Delhi, that potential US sanctions could derail the entire thing.
Let’s be honest, the entire US military and political system is a fool’s game at present — a pathological liar as president, and a challenger with a vague foreign policy.
However, the Indian Navy clearly likes what it sees in the latest Block III version of the American fighter jet. Who wouldn’t!The F/A-18s would meet India’s need to have a fighter that can operate from aircraft carriers, Naval-Technology reported.
The Indian Navy has been evaluating if the F/A-18 as well as the French-made Rafale naval fighters to determine if either will meet its current and future needs.
India has already announced its intentions to phase out its existing fleet of jet fighters, which include the Russian-built MiG-29K, National Interest reported.
India has expressed interest in acquiring some 57 naval fighter aircraft from operations from its aircraft carriers, and earlier this month Boeing touted the capabilities of F/A-18 when responding to the Indian Navy’s Request for Information (RFI) for its Multi-role Carrier Borne Fighter program.
In its response, the American defense contractor noted that the jet has earned a reputation of being among the most lethal, advanced, combat-proven, multi-role front-line fighters in service today.
The company’s pitch, which was made by Boeing Defense India (BDI), also highlighted the fact that the Block III variant can perform in virtually every mission in the tactical spectrum including air superiority.
This includes day/night strike with precision guided-weapons, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy air defense, maritime strike, reconnaissance, forward air control, and buddy refueling.
Sputnik / ABC Flash Point News 2023.
F-18’s are pretty outdated for modern military standards.