Indian Navy MRCBF Update : F/A-18 Super Hornet cruising ahead of Rafale-M ; Here are the reasons

Source : IgMp Bureau

File Photo of French Dassault Rafale-M and American Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet on Carrier Deck together

As per the latest updates that are coming in, the F/A-18 Super Hornet currently has an upper hand in the Indian Navy's tender for 26 carrier borne fighter jets.

The Rafale-M carrier-born fighter which had undertook capability demonstration for the Indian Navy in January this year has hit some design limits like lack of wing folding mechanism while the F/A-18’s wing folding mechanism will reduce its footprints on the hanger decks.

The second technical issue is that the raffle m will require the removal of weapons and tip rails before it can be moved using the lift to carry it to the maintenance bay below the Rafale-M will also be more costlier due to its limited production line.

Thirdly, the Twin-Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF) that is under development will share the same GE F-414 engine with the F/A-18 which could come as a huge advantage and will be easier for the maintenance crew to maintain both the F/A-18 and TEDBF on the same aircraft carrier as there will be no need to carry separate spares.

The F/A-18 has more powerful engines than the Rafale-M which will be a big factor when operating in dry humid conditions at sea level in the Indian Ocean Region.

Judging all these above factors into consideration, we can assume that on paper and in terms of technical matching, F/A-18 SH is cruising ahead of Rafale-M in the Indian Navy’s Multi Role Carrier Borne Fighter tender (MRCBF).