Both of India's aircraft carriers were designed with MiG-29K/KUB operations in mind, meaning a solution that results in the least modification work on the carriers would be a consideration for the Indian Navy to help keep costs down. One of the major questions in the acquisition of either the Rafale or F/A-18E/F has been whether or not the two respective fighters can fit on the Indian carrier elevators, as they were designed for the Fulcrum. Garcia shed some light on this. "With the folding wings that Super Hornet has and the other competitor does not, we are able to fit onto the elevators and I think that makes a huge difference." However, the two carriers are likely to need slight modifications to accommodate the F/A-18E/F. "The one minor thing that we would need to adjust on the carrier is the holdbacks, the boards that pop up and then the MiG-29 will taxi up and the main gear will rest against these boards to hold the jet back while it runs up to full power.
展开▼
