India issues Rs 1 lakh crore tender for 60 multirole transport aircraft; Tata, Mahindra, HAL in race
By Ajit Dubey, New Delhi, August 12
Looking to replace its ageing fleet of cargo planes, the Defence Ministry today issued a tender worth around Rs one lakh crore for buying 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, Defence Officials told ANI, adding that "In the programme, Indian companies would be in the lead role."
Mahindra Defence has tied up with Embraer of Brazil to offer its C-390 transport plane, while Tata is going with Lockheed Martin to offer their C-130 plane, which is already in the Indian Air Force for special operations roles.
The programme would see around 20 per cent of the planes joining the Indian Air Force in fly-away condition, while the rest of them would be manufactured in India with over 60 per cent indigenous content. The aircraft will be built in India through joint ventures between Indian companies and the original equipment manufacturer, HAL.
The Indian Air Force already operates 12 C-130J Super Hercules planes in its fleet. In addition, IAF is already working with Airbus on the C-295 transport aircraft, as around 70 of them are going to be inducted into the forces, with the majority of them being made in India.
The Indian Air Force has already issued a tender for buying 114 Rafale fighter jets as part of its modernisation plan, while it is also looking at inducting over 100 trainer planes to replace its Hawk jet trainers and augmenting its capacity to train its pilots in view of the increasing number of fighter jet squadrons.
The Indian Air Force may also use the MTA planes as tankers for refuelling aircraft in the air and to transport equipment and troops at a rapid pace.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Great step for our Air Force, but I hope the delivery timelines are realistic. We've seen many defence projects get delayed in the past. 60% indigenous content is impressive, but we need to ensure quality and timely induction. Our forces need these planes sooner rather than later.
This is what we've been waiting for! With China expanding its military footprint in the region, we need to modernize our airlift capabilities. The C-130 and C-390 are proven platforms. And having Indian companies lead the program is a huge confidence booster. Jai Hind! 🙏
Good initiative for self-reliance, but I wish they'd also focus on developing our own engines and avionics. Simply assembling planes with foreign tech isn't true independence. The private sector is doing its part, but we need more R&D in core technologies. Domestic manufacturing should go beyond just assembly.
Excellent move! This will create thousands of jobs for our engineers and technicians. The make-in-India component will really help our supply chains grow. Also using these as tankers is smart—multi-role means better value for our tax money. Need more such ambitious projects. 💪
As someone who works in defense logistics, this is a welcome move. India is expanding its global influence and needs a strong airlift capability for humanitarian missions and quick troop deployment. But let's be honest, we've been slow with the C-295 program too. Hoping they've learned from those lessons and will streamline clearance processes this time.
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