Boeing bid to sell F-15EX Eagles to India faces stiff competition

WASHINGTON: Boeing BA is signaling its growing interest in marketing its F-15EX twin-engine multi-role fighters to the Indian Air Force, foreign media reported.

Back in February, Boeing Vice President Pratyush Kumar stated the company was seeking a license to export the F-15EX to India-a request which may soon be granted according to Indian defense journalist Shiv Aroor.

This latest variant of the nearly half-century old F-15 combines decades of upgrades developed for export model Eagles into a new multi-role platform for U.S. service with Air National Guard squadrons. The first eight F-15EXs out of an expected final order of 144 to 200 are due off the St. Louis assembly line in 2021.

Boeing has had some success exporting military aircraft to India, notably deals for Apache Guardian and Chinook helicopters, as well as C-17 transports and P-8I patrol planes. But it has so far been unsuccessful in offering another twin-engine fighter, the FA-18 Super Hornet.