As India continues to upgrade its defense fence around its territory, it is also updating its fleet on the oceans. India recently launched the indigenously built Vikrant aircraft carrier and is now looking for some of the most advanced and eligible fighter jets to operate from the new aircraft carrier.

The Indian Navy initially announced a tender for 57 jets in 2017. It was estimated to be worth at least $6.6 billion at the time. The Indian Navy will initially purchase 26 fighter jets, 18 of which will be single-seaters and the remaining eight will be two-seaters.

Let us take a look at the capacity of the Vikrant aircraft carrier, where this aircraft is about to be operated. The massive 14 decks and 2,300 compartments of India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier can carry 1,700 sailors and officers. Most notably, it can house 30 MiG fighters and helicopters. It has a runway length of 206 meters and a short take-off position of 145 metres.

The new aircraft carrier for India was designed as a ski-jump launch ship, as opposed to many other such carriers, which use a catapult launch for their jets. As a result, the aircraft chosen by the Indian Navy must be capable of taking off in this manner while carrying all weapon systems and a full fuel load.

IAC VIKRANT was built with 23,000 tonnes of military grade steel. An indigenous aircraft carrier has cost India 23,000 crore rupees to design and build.

The Navy intends to combine its multi-role carrier-based fighter jet procurement tender with the ongoing IAF tender for 114 fighters.

According to the Navy, they were looking for an aircraft that could deliver nuclear loads, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, and precision-guided bombs. Last month, the Rafale-M jet was tested for 12 days in Goa. On May 21, the super hornet US F-18 fighters will be tested for INS Vikrant in Goa.

Boeing, the US defence giant, will send two F-18 Super Hornet fighters to the Indian Navy for flight tests this month. Both fighters will depart from the United States with mid-air refuelling. The last P-8I poseidon is scheduled to be delivered on the same day.

What would be a better fit for India’s future fighter for an aircraft carrier? Well, it all depends on the various factors that come into play here. Let’s look at the operation’s specifications and capabilities.

The Rafale’s wingspan is 35 feet 9 inches, whereas the FA 18’s is 44 feet 8.5 inches. After folding, the Super Hornet’s wingspan is reduced to 30.5 feet, which is 5 feet smaller than the Rafale. The Russian MiG-29K has a wingspan of 39.4 feet, and the present carrier can accommodate up to 30 fighters, so space may not be an issue.

There are two stronger contenders for this tender: Rafale from France and F18 from the United States.

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Dassualt, a French aviation company, manufactures the Rafale. The Rafale is already in service with the Indian Air Force. It is a multirole twin engine fighter. India possesses 36 fighter jets.

Because naval bases have fewer operating runways for takeoff and landing, they have some special requirements. However, because the Indian aircraft carrier has ski-jump runways, it will undoubtedly require some appropriate aircraft for operations. Catapults were used by a few carriers to launch aircraft. Catapult-launched aircraft can carry more weight than ski-jump-launched aircraft.

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In 2004, the Rafale Marine entered service with the French Navy. In fact, the Rafale Marine variant comes before the Rafale Air Force variant. While the two aircraft are nearly identical, the Rafale Marine is heavier due to a reinforced undercarriage and nose wheel to withstand the impact of carrier take-offs and landings, as well as a stronger ‘arrester’ hook to catch the wires that bring the aircraft to a halt on landing.

Rafale Marine has some limitations as well. The Rafale Marine is only available in a single-seat configuration, whereas the Super Hornet is available in both single- and two-seat configurations. The Rafale Marine is also unable to fold its wings while on deck, which is a significant disadvantage given the limited space on aircraft carriers. The Super Hornet has the ability to do so.

The Rafale Marine jet is equipped with an Exocet anti-ship missile, two 2,000-liter fuel tanks, and four MICA air-to-air missiles. According to French analysts, this configuration demonstrated that the Rafale Marine could take off from a ski-jump with an external load of more than 5.5 tonnes.

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The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Super Hornet is a twin-engine, carrier-capable multirole fighter aircraft variant. The F/A-18E single-seat and F/A-18F tandem-seat variants of the F/A-18C and D Hornet are larger and more advanced versions of the F/A-18C and D Hornet.

It is highlighted with The ski-jump ramp employs what naval experts refer to as STOBAR (short take-off but arrested recovery) technology.

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This aircraft was introduced in 1999 and is currently in service with the United States Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, and the Kuwait Air Force.

The F18 has advanced electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, large cockpit displays, and a “open systems” architecture that allows for easier electronic upgrades.

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The Super Hornet had a twin-seat variant that flew off aircraft carriers, whereas the Rafale had only a single-seat version. Twin-seat jets are thought to be better suited for long-distance missions and tasks like electronic warfare and ground attack.

Please let us know what you think about both fighter jets in the comments section.