If India’s exhaustive Request for Proposal (RFP) running across more than 200 pages drew appreciation as one of the most comprehensive documents ever received by the global military aviation industry, the subsequent responses prepared individually by the contending vendors for India’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) deal perhaps deserve even greater kudos for painstaking meticulousness. Leading the pack, the Boeing Company delivered a massive 7,000-page proposal to the Indian Air Force (IAF) on April 28, followed closely by the others determined to meet the new deadline of April 28. The six potential vendors in the fray include two US companies, namely, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the French Dassault, the Eurofighter Consortium, the Swedish Saab and the MiG MAPO from Russia.

Offering the advanced F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to the IAF, the Boeing’s proposal team had done its homework well in meeting the initial deadline of March 3. That, however, got extended to April 28 at the request of some of the other contenders. We are offering India the best-value, most advanced and proven multi-role combat fighter in production today, said Jim Albaugh, President and CEO, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. Boeing’s strategic goal has been to seek a longterm partnership with India to help strengthen the country’s aerospace capabilities and enhance its national security, said Chris Chadwick, President of Boeing Precision Engagement & Mobility Systems, adding, Choosing the F/A-18E/F would give Indians a direct hand in building advanced fighter aircraft that will robustly defend their shores and airspace, infuse new strength into the Indian Air Force, and serve as a catalyst for India’s growing defence aerospace industry.

Evidently, Boeing is aggressively marketing its product. By reaching out to Indian aerospace and technology sectors over the past three years through long-term partnership agreements with HAL, Tata Industries and Larson & Toubro, Boeing is showing seriousness in meeting its offset commitments. The Super Hornet variant being offered to India—the F/A-18IN—is based on the F/A-18E/F model flown by the US Navy and currently being built for the Royal Australian Air Force. The aircraft is equipped with Raytheon’s APG-79 AESA radar and other high-tech systems.