Boeing gets green light to offer India advanced F-15 fighters

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 (IAF) 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. The aircraft has been tailored to meet demands of the US Air Force, which plans to buy at least 144 aircraft.

The aircraft, the latest iteration of the Advanced Eagle family, is also being pushed as an export product, with Boeing focusing on deals with Israel and other countries including India.

As far as the IAF is concerned, the service operates a variety of fighter aircraft and has a sizeable number obsolete aircraft. Delays in procurement and poor maintenance have taken a toll on fighter numbers, with New Delhi trying multiple times in the recent past to procure the latest aircraft.

Boeing is also pitching the F-18 Hornet to India, specifically for the Indian Navy's Fleet Air Arm. The navy currently has a requirement for new carrier-based multi-role fighter aircraft. India's Fleet Air Arm currently operates the Mig-29K.

Earlier, Boeing sold AH-64E Apache helicopter gunships to India, six of which will be built in the Indian city of Hyderabad this year.