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India keen to buy F/A 18 Super Hornet fighter jets for IAF
India Today ^ | March 24, 2016 | Gautam Datt

Posted on 03/23/2016 11:26:38 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki

India is keen to consider Boeing's offer to supply F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets to the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Sources said that New Delhi will take a hard look at the proposal in April when a high-level delegation will engage the Indian officials on the construct of the offer. US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter will be in India on April 10 in a visit that is expected to take lift cooperation to a new level.

Boeing has offered F/A-18 Super Hornets under the "Make in India" framework of the Indian government. Sources said the proposal is worth considering as IAF is facing acute shortage of fighter jets. The IAF has already made it clear that the 36 Rafale fighter jets that are being negotiated with France are inadequate to meet its operational requirement.

There is a view emerging in the Indian security establishment that F/A-18 Super Hornets can also negate the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan by the US.

Super Hornet is a carrier based multi-role fighter which can be used by the Indian navy as well. Sources said the aircraft can meet both the IAF and Indian navy's operational requirement.

India had considered F-18 Super Hornet during the earlier hunt for 126 medium multi-role fighter jets.

But the US entry lost out to the French Rafale.

With the government scrapping the proposed contract which could not be sealed even after prolonged discussions with the French side, it opened doors for other fighter makers to make fresh bids.

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar has said the government is working out the best deal with the French. The contract, said to be in the final lap of negotiations is stuck over the price of 36 jets being sought by the French side. Sources said the deal is working out to be worth Rs 60,000 crore.

There is a sense of urgency in acquiring new aircraft as IAF's force levels are depleting due to an ageing fleet. Sources said the "Make in India" proposal of F-18s will solve the problem on the long term basis. Boeing's proposal also involves significant transfer of technology with a substantial indigenous content.

The proposal will also benefit the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft "Tejas" programme which needs to be resurrected after prolonged delays.

Sources said the acquisition can be put on fast track considering the urgency. The government has already stressed on going for direct military sale the route which is faster instead of inviting global bids.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aerospace; boeing; india; superhornet

1 posted on 03/23/2016 11:26:38 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
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To: sukhoi-30mki
Boeing has offered F/A-18 Super Hornets under the "Make in India" framework of the Indian government.

This may be good for Boeing's bottom line, but how does having them made in India help the USA? How long before all of Boeing's planes are made overseas? How long before Boeing itself follows? Tell us again about the benefits of "free trade".

2 posted on 03/23/2016 11:49:51 PM PDT by Hugin (Conservatism without Nationalism is a fraud.)
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To: Hugin

Agree. Boeing becoming a huge sellout. Make aircraft in Communist China, Flip-flopping India, and elsewhere abroad. America has become so weak, business would cave to these kinds of demands. Disgusting.


3 posted on 03/24/2016 12:26:03 AM PDT by twister881
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To: sukhoi-30mki

Fit’s right in there with the same Jet engine article. Why don’t we just give them the whole aerospace industry. /s This is exactly the type of stuff export control was written for. I take it our sellout government is fine with these technology transfers.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3371587/posts?page=1


4 posted on 03/24/2016 12:48:47 AM PDT by OftheOhio (never could dance but always could kata - Romeo company)
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To: OftheOhio; twister881; Hugin

Assuming the F-35B and C variants don’t get cut drastically, Boeing has little to look forward to for the Super Hornet line.

And assuming Boeing does get a contract from India (around 100-150 jets), that would be the biggest contract to look forward for this particular fighter. So, in one sense, Boeing seems like it has no option but to bet the farm on an India purchase.

The same logic goes for the GE F-414 engines; its unlikely to power a major U.S. combat aircraft after the Super Hornet. India has already purchased it for its Tejas fighter — A Super Hornet buy adds to that.


5 posted on 03/24/2016 3:57:24 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
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To: Hugin

Co-production deals are now the rule with commercial & military aircraft because customers are seeking to defray costs, reduce lifetime fleet costs & (most importantly) gain access to technology. India was always going to stress “build it here” and it appears that the French kicked that can down the road as far as possible until it became a deal-breaker for the Rafael.


6 posted on 03/24/2016 4:03:30 AM PDT by Tallguy
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To: Hugin

Of course, the 35% corporate tax and tax on overseas sales has absolutely nothing to do with companies preferring to move overseas just because some country has a 16% or lower corporate rate and no tax on overseas sales. We all know that US companies have a profit sharing plan with the federal gov they just adore ...


7 posted on 03/24/2016 6:11:44 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: PIF

Of course. As Trump says it just shows how messed up DC is that both parties in Congress agree corporate taxes are too high, but won’t do anything because they don’t want the other side to get any credit. The Pubs run Congress. They could pass a bi-partisan bill and put it on Obama’s desk, but they don’t. Trump’s tax plan calls for cutting corporate taxes and a one time amnesty to bring overseas money back here.

There’s also a larger national security concern when it comes to companies like Boeing moving their manufacturing overseas. I’ve frequently asked the phony “real conservatives” if it matters to them whether Boeing manufactures it’s planes in the USA or China. They generally just evade the issue, or say the solution is to get enact an entire agenda of cutting taxes, legal reform and eliminating government regulations. Since all that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon, the reality is they don’t care. (See my tagline)


8 posted on 03/24/2016 2:17:41 PM PDT by Hugin (Conservatism without Nationalism is a fraud.)
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To: Hugin

General Boing-boing already manufactures jets in China and they have an entire jet engine manufacturing facility as well as R&D in China. Nothing new there. They moved their corporate HQ from WA State to Chicago because of the onerous tax burden the state placed on them, so moving the rest out of Seattle is just a matter of time and opportunity.

I think you are simplifying a complex matter by saying they could just pass a bill. DJT’s plan is likely to remain as you read it for the moment, but he is just as likely to change it since he is a big gov guy (see eminent domain).

Much manufacturing has already moved overseas and only a sliver has moved in or back. Of course it matters where things are made. And they are correct saying the entire 20 year old tax code needs a thorough revamping and airing out.

Saying revamping the entire tax code is unlikely to happen is a cop out ... you have no idea what the next congress is going to do let along who will be POTUS - the person with the worst likability rating or the person with the second worst likability rating, the person who lies a lot or the person who lies all the time, the person who has no clue about the Middle East or the person who birthed ISIS and began the war in Libya.


9 posted on 03/24/2016 2:56:50 PM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: PIF

They are not just talking about the tax code. Everyone agrees that needs revamping and Trump is for that. It can be done fairly quickly. Getting rid of burdensome regulations and reforming the legal system is far more complex and unlikely to happen quickly. Expecting that to happen quickly is unrealistic. Saying you can’t do anything about corporate flight until you do means you won’t do anything about it. And I know Boeing makes planes in China already, that’s the whole point. We are giving them the technology to use against us, while losing the ability to manufacture what we need.


10 posted on 03/24/2016 3:11:41 PM PDT by Hugin (Conservatism without Nationalism is a fraud.)
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To: Hugin
This may be good for Boeing's bottom line, but how does having them made in India help the USA? How long before all of Boeing's planes are made overseas? How long before Boeing itself follows? Tell us again about the benefits of "free trade".

When Airbus was bidding for the Air Force tanker contract their bid included building a plant here to make the airplanes. Where is this different?

11 posted on 03/24/2016 3:14:41 PM PDT by DoodleDawg
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To: DoodleDawg

We can build our own defense stuff here (for now) and should. Foreign companies shouldn’t be allowed to bid on defense contracts unless there are no American bidders. India can’t build them, so they have to get them elsewhere. Again, for now.


12 posted on 03/24/2016 3:21:20 PM PDT by Hugin (Conservatism without Nationalism is a fraud.)
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To: Hugin

We used to have a saying in Russian for people who believe a politician absolutely - “true believer” in English.

You are not paying attention to what is possible or not possible in an election year in Congress, but rather making desperate assumptions and then stating ‘fact’ based on those assumptions - called a ‘straw man argument’.

We are not giving China anything ... they already got it or are in the process of stealing it.


13 posted on 03/24/2016 3:43:42 PM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: Hugin
We can build our own defense stuff here (for now) and should. Foreign companies shouldn’t be allowed to bid on defense contracts unless there are no American bidders.

We do. But why do we ignore economies of scale by licensing designs for foreign ships or other weapons?

India can’t build them, so they have to get them elsewhere. Again, for now.

They can if Boeing allows them to do it under license. Why not let them?

14 posted on 03/24/2016 4:00:04 PM PDT by DoodleDawg
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To: DoodleDawg

The whole point of selling arms abroad is to keep your own defense industry going, not to move it elsewhere.


15 posted on 03/24/2016 4:06:36 PM PDT by Hugin (Conservatism without Nationalism is a fraud.)
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