F-15X over New Delhi? Now it’s no secret that India’s attempts to acquire over 100 new fighter jets have seen plenty of drama, with the current project evolving into an ongoing competition for the supply of 114 fighters for the Indian Air Force, estimated to be worth $15 billion.
One competitor that could be the Dark Horse of this program is Boeing which is offering the F-15X to New Delhi and is seeking clearance from the Donald Trump administration to export the advanced fighter.
If you don’t know, the F-15X is the latest variant of the F-15E Strike Eagle multirole fighter and is based on the F-15E variants sold to Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The F-15EX reportedly has a maximum take-off weight of about 36 tonnes, near to that of the Su-30MKI, the Indian Air Force’s mainstay fighter. But can carry up to 22 air-to-air missiles.
It will be interesting if the Indian Air Force decides to go with the upgraded Eagle, as the IAF has already got the Rafale on order, and it would be a logistical nightmare of the IAF.
