India's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved plans to procure medium transport aircraft for the country's air force. A total of 60 aircraft were approved for acquisition, of which 12 units are to be purchased ready for operation, while another 48 must be manufactured directly in India. This will be one of the most important conditions for competition participants.
According to Times Now, there will apparently be two competitors Brazilian Embraer and American Lockheed Martin will compete for the Indian contract, both having their partners in India Mahindra and TASL respectively. Who exactly receives the agreement will be determined after India reviews the corresponding company applications.
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From this information, two nuances should be immediately noted. First, India ultimately decided to reduce its medium transport aircraft plans, as it previously planned to procure up to 80 units. However, 60 military transport aircraft remain a very large quantity within one agreement.
Second, if previously besides Brazilian C-390 and American C-130J, European A400M Atlas was also considered, it appears India has now decided not to consider this last option, which is larger in size and accordingly would cost more than competitors.
India is purchasing new aircraft to replace outdated machines in its military service, specifically 17 Il-76 aircraft and approximately 100 An-32 aircraft.
Moreover, recall that India previously partially purchased aircraft to replace An-32s. This involves a January 2021 contract for 56 C-295 aircraft from Airbus worth nearly €3 billion. The first aircraft under this agreement was manufactured two years later in 2023.
Regarding plans to purchase new military transport aircraft, Embraer in January this year presented a C-390 localization strategy in India including the creation of maintenance and repair facilities for these aircraft directly in the country, announcing a partnership with local company Mahindra.
Also recall that India already operates a certain number of C-130J military transport aircraft from Lockheed Martin, which are Embraer's competitors in the 60-aircraft competition. Also, late last year, the American company, jointly with TASL, announced the start of construction of a new facility for the maintenance and repair of these aircraft.
Previously, Defense Express reported that India is evaluating a massive contract with russia for the modernization of approximately 175 Su-30MKI fighters.
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