A F/A-18 Super Hornet manufactured by Boeing at the Aero India 2019
A F/A-18 Super Hornet manufactured by Boeing at the Aero India 2019 | Twitter/@Boeing_In
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Bengaluru: In a bid to go one up on its competition for the Indian Air Force’s new proposed multi-billion-dollar contract, US aerospace major Boeing Thursday took to Twitter to take a potshot at American rival Lockheed Martin.

Looking to mock Lockheed Martin’s new F-21 aircraft, which many consider a renamed version of its F-16, Boeing tweeted, “Combat Proven, Future Ready, and still called the F/A-18 Super Hornet. 😉 Catch them here at #AeroIndia2019.”

Boeing is offering the IAF its F/A 18 Super Hornet at the ongoing Aero Show in Bengaluru. During a presentation to the media, a number of Boeing executives reiterated that the F/A 18 is still called a Super Hornet.

Lockheed Martin hasn’t yet responded to Boeing’s jibe.

At the airshow, the real dogfight is happening on the ground as both the US companies are trying to beat each other to the deal for 114 fighter jets.

Boeing is also eyeing a potential order from the Indian Navy for 57 fighter jets to be used on board for its second and third aircraft carriers.

‘Not old wine’

On Wednesday, Lockheed Martin had unveiled its F-21 multi-role fighter, designed especially for India. The company, which had been hard-selling the F-16 Block 70 so far, said it would now offer the F-21 to the IAF.

Even though the F-21 has four new additional features, many believe it’s just an example of old wine in new bottle. The new aircraft is still on the drawing board, leading to concerns that it was pretty much a ‘paper’ aircraft.

“It is neither a paper aircraft nor old wine in new bottle,” Vivek Lall, vice-president, Aeronautics Strategy and Business Development at Lockheed Martin told ThePrint at the ongoing air show.

The F-16, one of the highest-selling fighter planes in the world, was to compete with six other aircraft for the IAF contract. But it had several factors going against it.

Experts, including those from the IAF, had argued that the F-16 had an older air frame. Since it’s already in use in Pakistan, many argued that India could not have the same aircraft since the Pakistan Air Force knows its limitations and advantages. To be sure, Lockheed Martin was offering a different variant of F-16, the Block 70.

Experts say the F-21 offer is an attempt to ride these bumps.

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