Carrier-Borne Fighters as of Today
Carrier-borne aircraft have come a long way in respect of capability to project air power leading to a paradigm shift in the military capability of a nation
In the last over a decade and a half, the focus in India in respect of induction of combat platforms has been on the acquisition in fairly large numbers, of modern fourth-generation fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF). However, in the beginning of last year, with the Indian Navy initiating a Request for Information (RFI) for 57 aircraft to equip its new indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant that is currently under construction at Cochin Shipyard Limited, interest in carrierborne aircraft has been reignited both in the military aviation community as well as in the global aerospace and defence market that is focused on this segment of the industry. This sudden interest in the Indian market has been fuelled by the fact that the Indian Navy has rejected the naval version of the light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk I and has offered no clarity on its position vis-à-vis the naval version of the LCA Tejas Mk II. This platform is yet to be developed and the time frame in which it is expected to be available is quite uncertain. In the meantime, the new indigenous aircraft carrier is