F-18 fighter is IAF8217;s best bet: US Navy

8220;I can see everyone8230;even a cruise missile,8221; said the fighter pilot who was earlier flying the F-14 fighter aircraft that has sports a less powerful APG 73 radar.

8220;It makes me feel very safe,8221; he quipped about the big difference between flying a fighter with an AESA radar, as compared to one without it.

And it is not just Koch who raves about the F-18 E/F the version with AESA radar in Lemoore.

8220;This is the best that the IAF can get. This is the best that the US Navy is using,8221; said commander Hal C Murdock who controls half of the air combat striking power of the US Navy from Lemoore.

8220;I am confident that the Boeing8217;s F-18s will shine through the selection process of IAF,8221; said Murdock. 8220;The F-18 E/F can provide a significant leg up to any air force that flies it,8221; said Murdock, who cites its AESA radar-driven information capability and helmet-mounted cueing system as the key to its air-to-air strike power.

8220;The fighter can be used in a wide range of areas and its automated systems make it easy to use. It has a low cost of operation and is maintenance-free,8221; he said.

Murdock hoped the IAF would to pick F-18 E/F over other competitors who have filed the RFP with the IAF for 126 aircraft. 8220;The plane has a readiness alert of just over two minutes and requires a very short runway to do so,8221; he said, highlighting its unique features.

The US Navy pilot, responsible for providing F-18 Superhornets ready for tasking, said the Australians are the only ones in the world who have got the AESA radar-fitted version of the fighter plane.

8220;We are preparing to train Australian pilots over 37 weeks, starting December. May be, the IAF pilots would be next,8221; he said, while expressing hope that the fourth largest air force decides to buy F-18s as part of its global tender.

Amidst talk that the IAF has started evaluating Boeing8217;s RFP in connection with the global tender, the ace US Navy aviator said the cost of maintaining F-18s through their life time was the lowest at USD 7,000 per flight hour.

Earlier, showcasing the automated maintenance facilities for F-18s at Lemoore, Mike Gonzalas, head of Naval Aviation Technical Training, said there is a 95-day capsule for training electric technicians.

8220;We have trained technicians from Kuwait and Switzerland. The Australians would be coming next month,8221; he said, adding that he would look forward to IAF technicians coming here, if F-18 E/F join their fleet.

The Boeing and the US Navy are jointly trying to woo the IAF and sell the F-18 E/F combat aircraft to it. The IAF issued a RPF to six vendors in August 2007 to procure 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft MMRCAs at an estimated cost of Rs 42,000 crore.

Besides Boeing8217;s F-18 Superhornet, others in competition are F-16s of the Lockheed Martin, Eurofighter Typhoon, MiG-35 of Russian Aircraft Corporation, Rafel of French firm Dassault and Gripen JAS-39 of Sweden8217;s SAAB.