Boeing will compete with France’s Rafale and Sweden’s Gripen among others for the Indian Air Force’s plan to buy 114 multi-role aircraft in order to replace its Soviet-era fleet.
On Thursday, a senior executive at Boeing said that the aerospace company received a license from the US government to sell its F-15EX fighter jet to the IAF. Director of India Fighters Lead, Boeing Defense, Space & Security Ankur Kanaglekar told reporters that discussion on the F-15EX had taken place earlier between the Indian and US government.
Kanaglekar said: “Now that we have the marketing license 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 also added that conversations were expected to gather pace during the Aero India show next week.
Boeing will have competition with Sweden’s Gripen and France’s Rafale among others for the Indian Air Force’s plan to buy 114 multi-role aircraft in order to replace its Soviet-era fleet. American company Lockheed Martin is also pitching its F-21 fighter to the IAF and have also offered to manufacture the plane in the country to win the deal, which is estimated to be approximately worth more than $18 billion.
Over time, the United States and India have strengthened their defense ties with the Indian military purchasing over $20 billion worth of weapons over the past 15 years.
Boeing is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles across the globe.
