Sunday, December 4 2005 10:18 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Frontline US aviation major Boeing proposes to fly in an ace naval pilot here next week to bring home to the Indian Air Force that its fighter F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet is not a carrier-based fighter.

"We want to dispel notions about the Hornets being naval fighter," Chris Chadwick, Vice President and head of the F-18 programme in the Boeing, told reporters yesterday (Dec 3,2005) night, asserting that combat proven Super Hornet was '21st century's premier strike fighter with all capabilities, flexibility and performance to modernise the air force or navy of any country'.

Boeing in consultation with the Defence Ministry is also planning to hold 'live demonstrations' of the F-18 at major Indian air bases to put its point across that Hornets were the most versatile of the five bidders of India's largest ever defense deal for purchase of 126 fighters.

With the Air Force on the verge of floating the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the project any time this month, Chadwick said Boeing was offering to India the most updated Block II version of the aircraft which was just entering service with the US Navy.

Super Hornet are the only fighters in the world to display the most advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radars, which have the capability of tracking simultaneously ground and air targets.

Hornets also display a Joint Helmet Cueing System (JHMCS) enabling the pilot to eyeball a designated target; both the systems have been classified 'highly secret' by the US Defense Department and so far Washington has not allowed transfer of this technology even to close allies like the UK.

Asked if Pentagon would allow transfer of these systems to India, Chadwick said with recent warming of relations between the US and India, he hoped that Washington would not bar export of these technologies.

He said the Hornets also have multi-functional information distribution system, fibre channel network, advanced targeting forward looking infrared, integrated defense electronics counter measures and advanced mission computer displays.

Chadwick said the fifth generation aerodynamic design gave the F/A-18 E/F exceptional combat maneuverability, an unlimited angle of attack, high resistance and reconfigurable digitial flight control system can detect damage to or full loss of a flight control and still allow safe recovery.

With a total of 11 weapon stations, the Super Hornets provide war fighters with extraordinary payload flexibility by carrying mixed load of air to air and air to ground weaponary.

Its beyond visual range standoff arsenal includes air-to-air AIM-120 'AMRAAM and two AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles and an external fuel tank.'

This leaves six under wing weapon stations available to carry a variety of weapons and other stores, the Boeing official said.

On the weapons systems, Boeing officials who have held discussions with top IAF brass including a meeting with the Air Chief SP Tyagi, said they were 'ready for third party Integrations' after the RFP.

Chadwick said that Hornet was a product of an industry team comprising besides the Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Electric Aircraft Engines and Radar Giant Raytheon, which could as a group create sizable offsets in India.

Besides, the Hornets, Boeing also makes Combat helicopters like Apace, Longbow and CH-47/MH-47 Chinooks, A160 Hummingbirds and most advanced range of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles like the X-45.