TASL is building an MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) facility for C-130 transport aircraft in Bengaluru. According to ET, TASL is also preparing a bid to supply medium transport aircraft (MTA) to the IAF.
The new MRO facility is likely to be completed by 2026 and receive its first C-130J by early 2027. The IAF currently operates a fleet of 12 C-130Js, procured under a 2008 deal.
An-32 Replacement
The IAF plans to replace its existing fleet of around 100 Antonov An-32 medium transport aircraft acquired from the erstwhile Soviet Union with around 40–80 MTA aircraft.
The An-32s were progressively inducted into the IAF starting in 1984. In June 2009, India signed a $400-million agreement with Ukraine’s Ukrspetsexport to upgrade its fleet of 105 An-32 aircraft and extend their technical life from 25 years to 40 years.
Under the agreement, 40 An-32s were to be upgraded at designer-certified plants in Ukraine, with 10 aircraft being upgraded annually. The remaining 64 An-32s were to be upgraded at the IAF’s No. 1 Base Repair Depot (BRD) in Kanpur using material and technology transfer from Ukraine.
The An-32s will progressively approach the end of their extended technical life from 2030–32 onwards.
Joint Development of MTA with Russia
India initially sought to co-develop its own MTA with Russia. In 2012, both countries signed a pact to develop a 15-20-tonne aircraft for cargo/troop transportation, paradrop operations, and air-drop of supplies, including the ‘low-altitude parachute extraction system.’
The primary objective of the project was for India to achieve self-reliance in the design, development, and production of aircraft of this size, and to manage the program through international collaboration with a large number of global suppliers.
However, the deal was scrapped in 2016 after both countries failed to reach an agreement on the engine and aircraft design.
Current IAF Transport Fleet
India currently operates a wide range of transport aircraft, including the Dornier 228, Avro HS-748, An-32s, C-130Js, and the larger IL-76s and C-17s.
The IAF’s Avro fleet is being replaced by the Airbus Defence and Space-developed C-295. Sixteen aircraft are being delivered to India in flyaway condition from Spain. At the same time, 40 are being locally assembled in India by Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. (TASL) in partnership with Airbus Defence and Space.
Of the 40 aircraft to be assembled in India by TASL, the first 16 would incorporate 30 per cent indigenous components. The remaining aircraft would need to be assembled with 60 per cent indigenous components.
With local assembly and indigenisation of the C-295 well on track, focus has now shifted from Avro replacement to An-32 replacement.
Desired MTA Capabilities
As per a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the IAF in December 2022, the replacement aircraft should be capable of operating from high-altitude Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) in Ladakh and the Northeast, carrying an 18- to 27-tonne payload.
Notably, the upgraded Indian Air Force An-32RE aircraft has a maximum payload capacity of 7.5 tonnes, but the IAF wants the replacement aircraft to have a much higher payload of 18 to 27 tonnes.
Apparently, the Government of India is unsure how many aircraft will be needed to replace the An-32 fleet.
It has been reported that “in its RFI, the IAF has sought a rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost of the aircraft and associated equipment for a batch of 40, 60, and 80 aircraft.”
The RFI emphasises vendor participation in technology transfer, assistance with indigenisation, and capability building to ensure local manufacture of systems, subsystems, components, and spares. Vendors are expected to make India a regional or global hub for MRO.
Vendors Expected to Respond
Three companies have reportedly shown interest in the MTA project — the US’s Lockheed Martin, Brazil’s Embraer, and Europe’s Airbus.
Lockheed has offered its C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, 12 of which are already in use with the IAF. Embraer has offered its latest KC-390 Millennium, and Airbus has proposed its A-400M Atlas.
Embraer has reportedly announced a partnership with Mahindra.
The three aircraft on offer differ greatly in their capabilities, but they share a common trait: they are all larger than the aircraft envisaged by the IAF, assuming that the MTA proposed to be developed with Russia was the ideal aircraft for the IAF.
As would be expected, none was conceived for the kind of high-altitude landing ground operations that the IAF undertakes to support the heavy deployment of the Indian Army along the Line of Actual Control. No other country has such a requirement.
The C-130, with its 19-tonne payload, comes closest to the Qualitative Requirements (QRs) that the IAF has projected. The Embraer KC-390, which can carry 26 tonnes, exceeds the requirement, and the A-400M, which can carry 37 tonnes, stretches credulity over the logic behind the aircraft’s proposal.
With reduced payloads, the KC-390 and A-400M are likely to match, or even exceed, the C-130’s landing and takeoff performance.
Conclusion
The C-130J has an excellent reputation in the IAF. It is ideally suited to India’s mission environment, which often involves operating out of austere, high-elevation airstrips in hot conditions.
On August 20, 2013, an IAF C-130J landed at the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) in Ladakh. At an elevation of 16,614 ft, the airstrip is believed to be the highest in the world.
Besides good reputation and performance, the C-130 is likely to emerge as a strong MTA contender for the following reasons:
1. It is operated by 22 countries, with more than 570 aircraft manufactured so far. In comparison, the KC-390 has 10 operators and 47 aircraft produced so far, while the A-400M has 10 operators and 178 aircraft delivered.
2. TASL has a working relationship with Lockheed Martin and an enviable reputation within the armed forces as a reliable private-sector vendor.
3. US proclivity to impose sanctions is unlikely to be a stumbling block because the US is also known to make exceptions, particularly when they affect a military-industrial complex giant like Lockheed Martin.
However, there is a stumbling block — a big one at that. Lockheed Martin will absolutely deny any meaningful transfer of technology.
- Vijainder K Thakur is a retired IAF Jaguar pilot, author, software architect, entrepreneur, and military analyst.
- This is an Opinion Article. Views personal of the Author
- Follow the author @vkthakur
