India has taken a significant step toward modernizing its tactical airlift capability after the Defence Procurement Board cleared a proposal to acquire 60 transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force. The program, estimated at around ₹1 trillion ($10.9 billion), will next be examined by the Defence Acquisition Council before the government releases a formal tender.
The aircraft are expected to be procured under New Delhi’s “Buy and Make” model, which combines direct imports with domestic manufacturing. Under the current plan, 12 aircraft would be delivered in fully built condition, while the remaining 48 would be assembled in India in cooperation with domestic industry partners, with a strong emphasis on locally sourced components.
The new fleet will gradually replace the Air Force’s aging Soviet-era transports, including the Antonov An-32 and Ilyushin Il-76, which have been in service since the 1980s and are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. Once inducted, the aircraft are expected to enhance the military’s ability to conduct rapid troop movements, cargo transport, and supply missions, particularly in remote and high-altitude regions such as Ladakh along the disputed Kashmir frontier.
Several major aerospace firms are expected to compete for the contract. Airbus is likely to offer the Airbus A400M Atlas, while Lockheed Martin could propose the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules in partnership with Tata Advanced Systems. Embraer is also expected to participate with the Embraer C-390 Millennium alongside Mahindra Defence Systems. Meanwhile, Russia’s Ilyushin may join the competition with support from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
India is already working with Airbus to induct up to 56 Airbus C-295 transport aircraft for the Air Force, with a portion of the fleet being manufactured domestically. At present, the service also operates 12 Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules aircraft in its transport inventory.
