Chennai, April 12 (IANS) Aerospace major Boeing on Thursday announced a partnership with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Mahindra Defence Systems (MDS) to manufacture its carrier and land based F/A-18 Super Hornet multi-role fighter aircraft in India.
According to the firm, the future production with Indian partners will involve maximising indigenous content and producing the F/A-18 in India for its armed forces.
"Boeing is excited to team up with India's only company that manufactures combat fighters, HAL, and India's only company that manufactures small commercial airplanes, Mahindra," Pratyush Kumar, President, Boeing India was quoted as saying in a statement.
"This partnership brings the best of Indian public and private enterprises together in partnership with the world's largest aerospace company, Boeing, to accelerate a contemporary 21st century ecosystem for aerospace and defence manufacturing in India," he added.
The aerospace major said the "Super Hornet Make in India" proposal is to build an entirely new and state-of-the-art production facility that can be utilised for other programs like India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program.
"This partnership is intended to bring Boeing, HAL and MDS' global scale and supply chain, its best-in-industry precision manufacturing processes, as well as the unrivaled experience designing and optimising aerospace production facilities to both expand India's aerospace ecosystem and help realise the Make in India vision," the company said in a statement.
The firm pointed out that the plan addresses the infrastructure, personnel training, and operational tools and techniques required to produce a next-gen fighter aircraft in the country.
"As the most advanced and least expensive aircraft per flight hour of its kind, the F/A-18 Super Hornet will deliver on India's need for a carrier and land based multi-role fighter," the statement said.
"The Super Hornet does not only have a low acquisition cost, but it costs less per flight hour to operate than any other tactical aircraft in US forces inventory."
The aerspace major noted that the F/A-18 Super Hornet has a long life ahead, with the US Navy making significant investments in the latest evolution, the Block III.
