India’s Ministry of Defence has issued a tender for 60 medium transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force, opening a competition that could draw Lockheed Martin, Embraer and Airbus. The requirement is aimed at replacing the air force’s ageing Antonov An-32 fleet, with the procurement structured around 12 flyaway aircraft and 48 units to be built in India under local industrial participation and technology transfer. The programme is valued at about ₹1 lakh crore, or roughly $10 billion.
The reported operational requirement calls for aircraft in the 18-tonne to 30-tonne payload class, with an emphasis on short-field and rough-field performance. That profile appears to suit Lockheed Martin’s C-130J and Embraer’s C-390 Millennium more closely, while Airbus has also been linked to the bid with the A400M. The Indian government is framing the acquisition as a major Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat defence-industrial project.
HAL, Tata, Mahindra and Adani are among the domestic groups cited as possible lead partners for the local production phase. The 48-aircraft Indian-build element is intended to deepen domestic manufacturing capability while replacing a transport fleet that has been in service for decades.