Boeing plans to offer the T-45 Goshawk to the Indian navy to train its future naval fighter pilots.
"We have gone into briefings with the Indian ministry of defence on the T-45 and we could be looking at some co-production," says Mark Kronenberg, Boeing IDS vice-president for international business development in Asia Pacific.
The Indian navy should have a future requirement for naval aircraft trainers. India bought 16 naval versions of the MiG-29 in 2004 as part of a deal for a used Russian carrier, which is scheduled to come into service in 2008. The navy has said that it may buy up to 40 naval versions of the domestically built Light Combat Aircraft for its indigenous aircraft carriers, which are scheduled to come into service from 2011.