Just a few hours after the first flight of the F-15EX, U.S. aviation giant Boeing will be participating in the biennial Aero India 2021 airshow to be held in Bengaluru, pitching the fighter to the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Salil Gupte was vice president of Boeing Capital Corporation and succeeds Pratyush Kumar as President of Boeing India. Kumar left the position in November 2018 to go as vice president and program manager of Boeing’s F-15 fighter aircraft program.
The agreement opens the door to making standard communications systems onboard U.S. platforms available for acquisition by the Indian armed forces by mandating the security of these systems by both countries.
Boeing and Airbus will compete in a new IAF tender for tanker aircraft being conducted for the 3rd time – this time without a Russian bid. Airbus had won both the earlier tenders that were later withdrawn.
Pratyush Kumar, President of Boeing India, welcomes visitors to Aero India 2017 and describes their offer of the KC-46 tanker and the F/A-18 Super Hornet to India.
The aircraft took off from the company’s manufacturing plant at Long Beach, California on June 11 and made several stops, including one at Barcelona, before it arrived in India.