Aerospace and defence major Boeing has received the licence from President Joseph Biden led United States (US) Government to offer its F-15EX fighter jet to the Indian Air Force (IAF), reports Times of India.

The licence will allow the company to directly engage with the IAF about the fighter jet’s capabilities. As per Ankur Kanaglekar, director of India Fighters Lead, Boeing Defence, Space & Security, the company has already begun to do that in a small way.

Also, as per Kanaglekar, discussions over F-15EX had also taken place between the two Governments earlier.

Meanwhile, another US-based defence and aerospace major Lockheed Martin is also pitching its F-21 fighter jet to the IAF. The company is also proposing to build the plane in India in a bid to win the deal for 114 fighter jets which is estimated to be worth more than $18 billion.

The two companies face competition from French aerospace major Dassault’s Rafale fighter jets and Swedish defence major SAAB’s Gripen fighter jet. It should meanwhile be noted that IAF has already begun to operate some Rafale fighter jets, inducted under a deal for 36 jets.