Defence Procurement Board Approves 60 Medium Transport Aircraft For IAF

The Defence Procurement Board (DPB) has cleared the acquisition of 60 medium transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF), advancing a long-delayed plan to modernise its tactical airlift fleet and replace ageing Soviet-origin platforms. The proposal, vetted at a meeting chaired by Defence Secretary R.K. Singh, will now move to the Defence Acquisition Council for Acceptance of Necessity, the next formal step before tendering and trials begin.

The programme, estimated to cost around Rs 1 lakh crore, will be pursued under the ‘Buy and Make’ route. Under this model, 12 aircraft will be acquired in flyaway condition, while the remaining 48 will be manufactured in India in partnership with domestic industry. The move is aimed at strengthening indigenous aerospace capabilities while ensuring timely induction of new aircraft to meet operational requirements.

The acquisition is intended primarily to replace the ageing Antonov An-32 fleet, inducted in the mid-1980s, which is increasingly constrained by maintenance challenges and limited availability of spares. The new aircraft are also expected to assume some roles currently performed by the Il-76 fleet. Together, they are designed to bridge the gap between light transport aircraft and heavy-lift platforms, helping streamline and rationalise the IAF’s airlift inventory.

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Operational requirements specify that the aircraft must be capable of flying in high-altitude conditions and operating from short, semi-prepared or unpaved runways, including Advanced Landing Grounds in Ladakh and the Northeast. These demanding environments, especially along contested borders, require aircraft that can carry substantial payloads while maintaining performance margins. During the Eastern Ladakh standoff, transport aircraft played a critical role in sustaining troop deployments and rapidly moving equipment, reinforcing the importance of airlift as a core capability.

A three-way contest is emerging among global manufacturers. Brazil’s Embraer has partnered with Mahindra Defence to offer the C-390 Millennium, a jet-powered platform with a payload of around 26 tonnes. US-based Lockheed Martin is pitching the C-130J Super Hercules, already in IAF service and supported in India through Tata Advanced Systems Limited. Meanwhile, Airbus has proposed the A400M Atlas, a larger aircraft with payload capacity exceeding 30 tonnes, though its size places it above the IAF’s stated requirement.

Defence sources indicated that industrial considerations such as technology transfer, domestic production, and long-term sustainment support will weigh heavily in the final decision, alongside operational performance. The medium transport aircraft requirement has faced delays in the past, including a stalled joint development effort with Russia. With DPB clearance now secured, the programme is expected to gather momentum after years of slow progress.

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