IAF 's Shopping List

When one of the world’s biggest air force goes out for a purchase. With a budget of $10 billion. You can bet the world’s best will come running. Indian Air Force floated global tenders for 126 combat jets in the country’s biggest ever defense deal.

And on the menu we have… the world’s best combat air crafts ever built.

1. Lockheed Martin with F-16 Falcons

Primary Function: Multirole fighter

Speed: 1,500 mph (Mach 2 at altitude)

Range: More than 2,000 miles ferry range (1,740 nautical miles)

2. Boeing with F-18/A Super Hornets

Primary Function: Multirole fighter

Speed: more than 1,360 mph

Range: Fighter mission: 400 nautical-mile radius

Attack mission: 575 nautical-mile radius

Ferry range: more than 2,000 nautical miles

3. French Dassault with Rafale fighters

Primary Function: Twin-engined delta-wing highly agile multi-role fighter aircraft

Speed: Over mach 1.8 / 750kt

Range: 1,800 km (970 nm, 1,100 mi)

4. Swedish SAAB’s Gripen JAS-39

Primary Function: Multirole fighter

Speed: mach 2

Range: Combat radius 800km, (500 miles), (430nm).

5. Euro fighter Typhoon

Primary Function: twin-engine multi-role canard-delta strike fighter aircraft

Speed: Mach 2.2

Range: 1390 km

6. Russian Aircraft Corporation with its all-new Mig-35.

Primary Function:single-seat, single-engine, stealth-capable military strike fighter, a multi-role aircraft that can perform close air support, tactical bombing, and air-to-air combat.
Speed: Mach 1.8
Range: 1,200 nmi (1,400 mi, 2,200 km)

I think it’s a toss up between French Rafale and Russian Mig-35. Rafale for its French, good in combat and fire power. Mig-35 coz it’s a MIG. With the new thrust vectoring technologyMIG-35’s are the very latest Russian fighter planes.