After the fighter jet was selected by the Navy, after the fierce competition process, it also involved the American Boeing F/A 18 Super Hornet. The gust was found to be more suitable for Indian requirements and would have additional advantages in common with the Indian Air Force 36 fighter aircraft.
The jets will be equipped with cutting-edge weapons systems, including long-range air-to-air missiles, anti-fleet weapons and electronic warfare. While the deal does not require aircraft manufacturing in India, French companies involving gusts such as Dassault, Thales and MBDA are likely to place orders with Indian partners to manufacture components and subsystems locally.
Fighters have been in desperate need due to two Indian aircraft carriers (INS Vikramaditya and Vikrant) and are now in use, the current fleet of MIG 29K fighters shows the PAR performance below due to maintenance-related issues.
The gust will be customized according to Indian requirements and will be integrated into aircraft carriers with the Aviation Facilities Complex of Russian Origin (AFC). Until the development of Indigenous carrier-type fighter jets, operators’ jets were used as a fixture gap solution. Development of a twin-engine deck-based fighter jet is currently underway, but it is expected to take nearly a decade to operate. France also made a proposal to build Rafale Fighter Jets in India by setting up new production lines. However, this is related to a larger deal with these fighters in India, with the French side proposing to provide one order for a hundred aircraft to make it economically viable. The Air Force needs 114 fighters of the same type, but India is likely to conduct a larger bidding process for a larger acquisition.
