New Delhi, India, Aug. 12 (ANI): Looking to replace its aging fleet of cargo planes, the Defense Ministry on Wednesday issued a tender worth around Rs. 1 lakh crore for 60 multirole transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force.
The tender has been issued to multiple Indian companies, including Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Tata and Mahindra, defense officials told ANI, adding that “Indian companies would be in the lead role” in the program.
Mahindra Defense has partnered with Embraer of Brazil to offer its C-390 transport aircraft, while Tata is partnering with Lockheed Martin to offer the C-130, which is already in the Indian Air Force fleet for special operations roles.
The program would see around 20% of the aircraft delivered to the Indian Air Force in fly-away condition, while the rest would be manufactured in India with more than 60% indigenous content. The aircraft will be built in India through joint ventures between Indian companies, the original equipment manufacturer and HAL.
The Indian Air Force already operates 12 C-130J Super Hercules aircraft in its fleet. In addition, the IAF is working with Airbus on the C-295 transport aircraft, with around 70 aircraft expected to be inducted into the force, the majority of which will be manufactured in India.
The Indian Air Force has already issued a tender for 114 Rafale fighter jets as part of its modernization plan. It is also looking to induct more than 100 trainer aircraft to replace its Hawk jet trainers and expand its capacity to train pilots in view of the increasing number of fighter squadrons.
The Indian Air Force may also use the multirole transport aircraft as tankers for in-flight refueling and to transport equipment and troops rapidly. (ANI)
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