India’s nearly two-decade-old hunt for 114 multirole fighter jets is back on track with a twist. The government is planning to begin inducting these combat jets in the next four to five years through a fast-tracked global tender. However, the competition will be more intense as Boeing’s F-15 Strike Eagle, the fastest aircraft in the world today, has also entered the fray for the lucrative deal.
Defense sources have told Indian news agency ANI that the government will likely invite bids this year for 114 multi-role fighters. The deal would help the Indian Air Force (IAF) stabilize its falling squadron strength, which is at its lowest in the last six decades.
IAF is currently operating with 31 squadrons, the lowest count since 1965, when India was engaged in war with Pakistan. The authorized strength for the IAF is set at 42 squadrons. Notably, this worrying fall in squadron strength comes at a time when China is rapidly expanding its Air Force.
Apart from falling squadron strength, the IAF is also facing a widening capability gap with China, which has inducted two fifth-generation stealth aircraft. China already has over 200 J-20 stealth aircraft in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and plans to induct over 1,000 of these fifth-generation aircraft by 2035, when India’s home-grown Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is expected to be inducted.
In November last year, China also unveiled its second fifth-generation aircraft, the Shenyang J-35 stealth fighter, a twin-engine, single-seater supersonic jet developed for multirole missions.
Even more worryingly, the IAF’s squadron strength will continue to fall in the coming years as many of India’s legacy fighter jets are close to their life-cycle end and set to retire. The fleets that would be looking to exit the Indian Air Force in the next 10-12 years would be the Jaguar, Mirage-2000, and MiG-29s.
As India’s indigenously designed and developed LCA Tejas (MK1A and MK2 variants) are struggling with repeated delays, the MRFA (Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft) deal is a critical component of India’s defense strategy.
Moreover, defense sources told ANI that the IAF is looking to achieve the number of 60 fighter aircraft squadrons by the year 2047 and feels that the induction of the MRFA jets in the next five to ten years would be critical to achieving the numbers required to tackle a two-front war.
A high-level committee headed by Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh recently submitted its report to Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and has accepted the need for the Indian Air Force to acquire 114 multirole fighter aircraft to enhance its combat capabilities.
However, the contest for the MRFA deal will be much more intense this time as there will be a new entrant to the competition—one who could very well emerge as the dark horse.
India’s Nearly Two Decades Old MRFA Battle
The IAF first floated the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender to procure 126 new warplanes from foreign vendors in 2007. The move came after the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, a planned indigenous replacement for the IAF’s aging fleet of Soviet-era MiG 21s, faced delays in development.
The contest initially featured six fighter aircraft: Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin F-16, Mikoyan MiG-35, and Saab Gripen. By 2012, the Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale emerged as final contenders, with Rafale winning the competition.
However, the deal stalled due to disagreements over production in India. India officially withdrew the 126-aircraft MMRCA tender in July 2015. Instead, in 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to France, announced that India would purchase 36 Rafales in fly-away condition.
To many, it looked like the end of India’s MMRCA deal. However, in 2018, MMRCA was reincarnated as Multi Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) deal when the government issued a Request for Information (RFI) for the procurement of 114 fighter jets.
This tender is loosely termed as ‘MMRCA 2.0’. The new fighters are expected to replace the aging MiG-21s, Mirage 2000s, and the Jaguars. In April 2019, it was announced that the estimated acquisition cost of the warplanes is US$18 billion.
However, this time, two new contestants joined the battle. The Lockheed Martin’s F-21, a specifically configured variant of the F-16 tailored for the IAF, and Russia’s Su-35.
After Aero India 2025, in which Russia’s fifth-generation fighter jet Su-57 and Lockheed Martin’s F-35 participated, many defense commentators suggested that India should ditch the MRFA tender and instead buy a limited number of fifth-generation fighters to bridge the capability gap with China.
The Eagle Joins The MRFA Battle
The F-15 Eagle first flew in 1972 and entered service in 1976. No other US fighter has flown as long and still remains in the US arsenal, particularly in a front-line capacity. Despite entering active service almost half a century ago, F-15 is still a very capable fighter due to numerous reasons:
Unmatched Payload Capacity: Though it lacks the stealth features of the fifth-generation US fighters like F-22 Raptor and F-35, the F-15EX offers remarkable combat capabilities, especially with its unmatched payload capacity, earning it the nickname “Bomb Truck.”
According to an earlier EurAsian Times report, the F-15EX Eagle II is engineered to carry approximately 30,000 pounds of munitions. For air superiority tasks, the F-15EX can carry up to 12 air-to-air missiles, such as the heat-seeking AIM-9 Sidewinders and AIM-120 AMRAAMs, which can engage threats beyond visual range.
For ground attack missions, it can be loaded with around 24 air-to-ground munitions, including stand-off weapons, cruise missiles, and smart bombs.
Speed & Range: The F-15EX is an agile fighter capable of speeds exceeding Mach 2.5 (about 2,800 mph) and an operational range of nearly 2,000 miles. This extensive range and high-speed performance make it a reliable option for the IAF, considering India’s long land borders with Pakistan (2,065 miles) and China (2,170 miles).
Advanced Survivability: The F-15EX incorporates innovative electronic warfare tools that maintain low detectability without sacrificing payload.
Unmatchable Kill Ratio: F-15 fighter jets boast a kill ratio that is envied by many air-superiority fighter jets worldwide.
Over the past five decades, around 125 US F-15s have been lost, mainly due to pilot errors in low-visibility conditions, ground incidents, or training accidents. This translates to an outstanding service record of less than two aircraft destroyed per 100,000 flight hours, a testament to the F-15’s durability and performance.
Remarkably, no F-15 has ever been lost in an air combat while it has over 100 kills to its name.
Bodyguards of F-35s: Thanks to its unmatchable speed, range, payload capacity, massive armaments, and 104 to 0 kill ratio, F-15s often fly alongside F-35s as their bodyguards.
Highest Operational Readiness among US fighters: According to the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) 2024 report on aircraft readiness, the F-15EX has the highest mission-capable rate among all US fighter jets.
The report revealed that the fifth-generation F-22 Raptor saw its readiness crater from 52% to 40.19%, the F-35A scored a mission-capable rate of 51.5%, and F-15EX achieved an 83.13% mission-capable rate—beating fifth-generation aircraft by a huge margin.
Boeing advertises its F-15EX Eagle II by saying, “With a payload capacity of 29,500 lbs. (13,300 kg) – including outsized weapons – the F-15EX delivers affordable mass to address rapidly evolving threats. When this payload is combined with range, contemporary sensors, and an advanced electronic warfare suite, the F-15EX presents peer adversaries with multiple challenges both inside and outside of threat rings”.
Boeing further claims that the F-15EX can shoot from a significantly increased range—farther than any other fighter in the U.S. Air Force arsenal—and provides the unique capability of holding 12 AMRAAMs or other large ordinance. It prides itself on its electronic warfare suit, which does not require pods that remove weapon stations.
F-15 EX Is Already A Global Hit
The F-15EX is a member of the F-15 Advanced Eagle family of aircraft, a further development of the F-15E. Upgrades began in 2011 for Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The first F-15EX was delivered in 2021. The USA has received 7 out of the 104 planned.
The Israeli Air Force ordered 25 F-15IA fighters based on the F-15EX and plans to upgrade 25 F-15Is to the F-15IA standard. Saudi Arabia is looking to upgrade its fleet of F-15SAs to the same standard as the EX.
The USAF and Boeing have agreed to upgrade Japan’s F-15J fighters into F-15 Japan Super Interceptors, an F-15EX variant with the F-15JSI designation. In collaboration with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the upgrade incorporates advanced sensors and avionics. Singapore has inked a contract for 12 F-15s, with deliveries scheduled for 2028 and 2029.
South Korea is also considering upgrading its F-15K fleet to resemble the F-15EX. Egypt, Thailand, Indonesia, and Poland are also considered prospective customers.
The Elephant In The Room: India’s 250+ Su-30MKIs
However, if there is one factor that can work against the F-15, it is that the IAF already operates nearly 260 Su-30MKIs, which are a mirror image of the F-15 fighters in terms of capability, speed, range, and payload capacity.
In fact, the Su-30 was specifically designed to compete with the F-15 and remains a highly capable aircraft for India’s defense needs.
Both F-15 and Su-30 are fourth-generation air-superiority fighters. The F-15 has a maximum take-off weight capacity of 36,741 kg and Su-30MKI has a maximum take-off weight capacity of 38,800 kg. The F-15 can carry 13,300 kg of ordinance vis-à-vis 8,130 kg load on Su-30MKI.
The F-15 has a superior maximum range of 3,900 kilometers, compared to the Su-30’s 3,000 kilometers. The F-15 Eagle boasts a higher top speed compared to the Su-30 MKI. While the Su-30 MKI can achieve speeds up to Mach 2, the F-15 Eagle reaches slightly over Mach 2.5. Both aircraft feature 12 hardpoints, allowing them to carry a wide array of weaponry.
India is pursuing a massive plan to upgrade its Russian-origin Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets. This project aims to equip the aircraft with advanced radars, avionics, longer-range weaponry, and multi-sensor fusion technology, ensuring they remain competitive in air combat for the next 30 years.
In December last year, India signed a contract to procure 12 Su-30MKI aircraft and associated equipment at an approximate cost of Rs 13,500 crore ($1.6B).
Also, Su-30 MKIs are licensedly produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in India. So, India already has infrastructure for boosting production and upgrading existing Su-30s. However, to manufacture F-15 fighters, India will have to build the required infrastructure from scratch.
The Indian Air Force’s Su-30 fleet is also capable of launching BrahMos air-launched supersonic cruise missiles. It’s unlikely that BrahMos missiles could be integrated with the F-15.
Conclusion
In 2022, Boeing received a crucial license from the US government to explore the possibility of selling the F-15EX fighter jet to India. This move enabled Boeing to respond to the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) request for information (RFI) to acquire 114 multi-role fighter aircraft (MRFA) from the global market.
Now, Indian government sources have disclosed that F-15 is the new entrant to the MRFA contest. However, despite the F-15’s legendary status in air combat, it seems unlikely that India will pick this fighter as it already operates nearly 260 Su-30 MKIs.
- Sumit Ahlawat has over a decade of experience in news media. He has worked with Press Trust of India, Times Now, Zee News, Economic Times, and Microsoft News. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Media and Modern History from The University of Sheffield, UK. He is interested in studying Geopolitics from a historical perspective.
- He can be reached at ahlawat.sumit85 (at) gmail.com
