Indian Navy to get new carrier-based jet by 2032

Indian Navy will get the new twin-engine aircraft carrier-based fighter aircraft being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) by 2032 and it will be a replacement for the Russian MiG-29K carrier jets in service.

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Key-Points

The Navy currently operates Russian-origin carrier INS Vikramaditya and expects to have the first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-I) Vikrant operational by 2022.

With a second carrier to come in, the Navy is already evaluating a global tender for 57 carrier-based twin-engine fighter aircraft.

Last January, the naval Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) successfully completed arrested landing and take-off on board Vikramaditya and has since undertaken several trials.

Deck-Based Fighter

DRDO has offered to develop a twin-engine deck-based fighter for the Navy based on the experience of the carrier landing. With the successful deck-landing, they decided to drop the naval TEJAS Mk-2 and move on to the twin-engine jet.

The new jet being developed by DRDO should be ready by 2026, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh stated last December. The design specifications have since been finalised.

The Navy currently has 45 Russian MiG-29K aircraft and its officials had stated that there will not be enough aircraft to operate from both carriers.

The Navy is currently evaluating the responses to the Request for Information (RFI) from Boeing with its F-18 Super Hornet and Dassault Aviation with its Rafale jets. Both companies had stated that their jets can operate off the ski-jump of Vikramaditya and in future the Vikrant.