All eyes are on our naval defence force to select a sophisticated fighter jet to replace the ageing MiG-29K now that the Indian Navy has its first homegrown aircraft carrier in the form of INS Vikrant. Around four years ago, the Indian Navy started the acquisition process for 57 multi-role combat aircraft for its next-generation aircraft carriers. However, they will first add roughly 30 advanced fighter jets to the fleet, and they have an option between the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and the Dassault Rafale M.
Up till the Indian Navy introduces a new fighter jet between these two, the INS Vikrant will be operated by Russian-built MiG-29K. Recently, the navy conducted tests with the French-made Dassault Rafale M, a 4.5 generation fighter jet already in use by the IAF, as well as the US-made Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, to examine these jets' operating capabilities aboard aircraft carriers. Both jets underwent successful trials in Goa and have versions for the Air Force and Navy.
RAFALE MARINE
The name Rafale, which is French for "gust of wind," refers to the twin-engine, multirole 4.5 generation fighter aircraft that Dassault Aviation produces and designs. In order to construct two squadrons, one in North India and one in South India, the Indian Air Force has placed a sizable order for the induction of 36 Rafale aircraft.
The Rafale Marine is the fighter jet's naval counterpart, and it has a comparable design. The Dassault Rafale has a delta wing design, can withstand higher G-forces of up to 11G, and is offered with single or dual cabin seating arrangements. The Rafale had a wingspan of 10.80 metres and a length of 15.27 metres. The Rafale is equipped with a GIAT 30M/719B gun that can fire regulated bursts of 0.5 or 1 seconds at 2,500 RPM.
The primary missile of the Rafale is an air-to-air, multi-target, fire-and-forget MBDA MICA missile. Rafale possesses an MBDA Meteor air-to-air missile for BVR (beyond visual range).
Boeing F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet
The Boeing Company-designed F/A-18E Super Hornet for the Navy has a 20% larger airframe, 41% longer range, and upgraded General Electric F414 engines (an improvement over the Hornet's F404 engines), which produce 35% more thrust. For your information, Boeing has also been promoting the F-18 to the Indian Air Force. The F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, which is the F-18's naval variant, is the one for the Navy.
The dual GE-sourced engines give the F-18 Super Hornet a top speed of Mach 1.8, making it comparable to the Rafale. It also has a rotating M61A1 Vulcan cannon that can fire 6,000 rounds per minute. The Super Hornet possesses an AIM-7 Sparrow missile with semi-active radar homing. The Super Hornet possesses an AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile for BVR (beyond visual range).
TEDBF
The Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) programme, which the Indian Navy is also working on, is for fighter jets produced in India based on the HAL Tejas LCA. The Navy needs some contemporary equipment to take the place of the Russian MIGs in the interim as these aircraft will need time to develop and will eventually replace foreign fighter planes in the fleet.