{"id":110545,"date":"2021-01-28T11:26:25","date_gmt":"2021-01-28T11:26:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/?p=110545"},"modified":"2021-01-28T11:26:25","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T11:26:25","slug":"boeing-gets-u-s-approval-to-offer-f-15ex-to-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/markets\/boeing-gets-u-s-approval-to-offer-f-15ex-to-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Boeing gets U.S. approval to offer F-15EX to India"},"content":{"rendered":"
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Boeing has received a licence from the U.S. government to offer its F-15EX fighter jet to the Indian air force, a senior executive said on Thursday.<\/p> Boeing will compete with Sweden\u2019s Gripen and France\u2019s Rafale among others for the Indian air force\u2019s plan to buy 114 multi-role aircraft to replace its Soviet-era fleet.<\/p>\n Ankur Kanaglekar, director, India Fighters Lead, Boeing Defense, Space & Security, told reporters discussions on the F-15EX had taken place earlier between the two governments.<\/p>\n \u201cNow that we have the marketing licence it allows us to talk to the Indian Air Force directly about the capability of the fighter. We have started doing that in a small way,\u201d he said, adding conversations were expected to gather pace during the Aero India show next week.<\/p>\n India and the United States have built close defence ties, with the Indian military buying over $20 billion worth of weapons in the last 15 years.<\/p>\n Lockheed Martin is also pitching its F-21 fighter to the Indian air force, offering to build the plane in the country to win the deal estimated to be worth more than $18 billion.<\/p>\n Boeing is bullish on India for both its defence and commercial aviation businesses, even as the COVID-19 pandemic has hit demand for air travel, forcing airlines to first get their finances in order before ordering new planes.<\/p>\n Boeing expects domestic passenger traffic to return to 2019 levels by the end of this year, Salil Gupte, the company\u2019s India head said, adding international traffic would return to pre-COVID levels only by 2023.<\/p>\n One of the planemaker\u2019s biggest customers is Indian low-cost carrier SpiceJet Ltd, which has a large order for its narrowbody 737 MAX planes.<\/p>\n Boeing on Wednesday got the green light from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to return its 737 MAX planes to service after a 22-month ban and Gupte said it was working to get approvals from the Indian regulator.<\/p>\n