Washington
Defence giant Boeing has been given the green light by the US to offer India its latest version of the advanced F-15 fighter aircraft – used in air superiority and ground attack roles.
New Delhi is seeking to shore up the number of fighter squadrons currently in the Indian Air Force as the current strength is far below the sanctioned strength. The recently inducted French-made Rafales are not present nor will be bought in sufficient numbers to fill the gap.
“Ankur Kanaglekar, the India Fighters Lead at Boeing Defense, Space, and Security, revealed the company had received the marketing license and said that there had already been talks with the Indian government about the F-15EX while speaking with reporters,” reported The Drive.
“Now that we have the marketing license it allows us to talk to the Indian Air Force directly about the capability of the fighter,” Kanaglekar said, according to Reuters. India and the United States have built close defence ties, with the Indian military buying over $20 billion worth of weapons in the last 15 years.
Lockheed Martin is also pitching its F-21 fighter to the Indian air force, offering to build the plane in the country to win the deal estimated to be worth more than $18 billion. The F-15EX is described by Boeing as the most advanced version of the versatile F-15, which first flew in the ’70s.— Reuters
