F/A-18E will undergo tests at INS Hansa testing facility of the Indian Navy. Marine Rafale already underwent the tests with INS Hansa earlier this year. The Indian Navy is looking to acquire 26 multi-role fighters for indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant

New Delhi: Indian Navy is looking for 26 fighter jets on board indigenous INS Vikrant and it is looking to do away with MiG-29Ks owing to several proven concerns. The Navy will commence flight trials with Boeing’s F/A-18E Super Hornets next week at INS Hansa, the shore-based test facility of the Navy in Goa.

In February, the Indian Navy also tested marine Rafale off the Goa coast from INS Hansa using a 283- metre long mock ski-jump platform.

The Block III variant of Super Hornet is essentially in the fray beside Marine Rafale for the Indian Navy’s carrier-capable fighter jets. The Super Hornet is also expected to undergo similar tests later this month. Let’s take a look at the aircraft to undergo trials next week.

What Is F/A-18E Super Hornet?

The Super Hornet is based on McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet and is a naval aircraft suited for operations from aircraft carriers. It is capable of carrying air-to-air missiles and also M-61 Vulcan cannon.

It has a total of 11 weapon stations and also carries the capability of bringing back three times more payload back to the aircraft carrier as compared to its predecessors.

It is designed for high-stress operations and requires minimum support equipment, high mission readiness, and low cost per flight hour.

Combat Capability

F/A-18E is the successor of the battle-tested F/A-18A/B Hornet. The fighter jets were used in Libya during 1986 strikes, where it launched a couple of high-speed anti-radiation missiles (HARMs) against their air defence radars and missile sites.

Comparison Between Rafale And F/A-18E

Apart from its regular size comparison with length, wing area, span, weight, power etc, the dogfight comparison and BVR (Beyond visual range) ratings will be one of the deciding factors besides the trials.

The Super Hornet is equipped with M61A1 Vulcan rotating cannon, while Rafale has GIAT 30M/719B mounted on it with the capability of controlled 0.5 or 1 second bursts. Super Hornet can fire 6,000 rounds per minute against Rafale’s 2,500 RPM.

Rafale is equipped with a primary missile as the multi-target, fire-and-forget, air to air MBDA MICA missile, while Super Hornet has semi-active radar homing Air Intercept Missile (AIM-7 Sparrow) missile.

On the other hand, Rafale has combat-proven better manoeuvrability as compared to Super Hornet.

In BVR air-to-air missile, Rafale has MBDA Meteor, while Super Hornet has AIM-120 AMRAAM.

The range of Rafale is 100 kms in BVR ratings and Super Hornet holds at 75 kms.

Rafale and Super Hornet have more similarities than expected, with the same speed limit of 4,248 km/hour, excellent radars, and operational range among others.

Deciding Factor

It is to be noted that both fighter jets after testing might be likely to give out different results. However, the deciding factor remains their compatibility and serving of purpose with India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, which is likely to become operational by next month. Out of the 26 carrier-based multi-role fighter jets that the Navy is looking to acquire for INS Vikrant, eight are to be used both for flight training and operations.

INS Vikrant is designed as a ski-jump launch ship, unlike many other such carriers, using catapult launch for their jet aircraft.

The aircraft which is finally selected by the Indian Navy must demonstrate the capability of taking off in this style, that is the ski jump fashion while carrying all weapon systems and full fuel load. The aircraft must also be capable of working with the Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) tech installed on most Indian aircraft carriers.

It is looking for an aircraft capable of delivering nuclear loads, air-launched missiles, and precision-guided bombs.

It is obvious that both the suppliers are expected to offer to make and have already made some modifications to suit the needs of the Indian Navy, however, the final aircraft will be chosen by the Navy as per the outcome of these trials.