American aerospace giant Boeing plans to submit its F-15EX Eagle-II fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force’s Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) competition.
Established in 2018, the MRCA competition was set up to procure 114 fighter aircraft from defense companies that meet Indian armed forces requirements.
According to a company official, offering the F-15EX fighter means the firm would pull its Super Hornet bid from the contest.
“India needs to relook at their force structure in the light of Rafale and Tejas orders,” the official said, as quoted by EurAsian Times. “If the gap is at the high-performance end, the F-15EX could be a fit. But these are early days.”
The US government authorized the Illinois-based firm to sell F-15 jets to India.
If its submission is accepted, Boeing will be up against Saab’s Gripen, Russia’s MiG-35 and Su-35, France’s Dassault Rafale, Lockheed’s F-21, and the Eurofighter Typhoon.
The F-15EX
A replacement for the F-15C, Boeing’s F-15EX “Eagle-II” is equipped with next-generation technologies to improve survivability.
The company said that its new fighter features enhanced maneuverability, acceleration, durability, computing power, and weapons carriage for better deterrence.
The Eagle-II includes digital fly-by-wire flight controls, a large area display glass-cockpit, and an APG-82 AESA radar. It also incorporates open mission system software to allow rapid upgrades and capability enhancement.
EurAsian Times reported that the aircraft is designed to counter China’s hypersonic, long-range missiles and sophisticated early warning and control aircraft.
Boeing is reportedly arming the Eagle-II with longer-range missiles, quicker radar processors, improved data-link capabilities, and the ability to carry more weapons to counter advanced threats.