Defence

Lifting loads for the nation: Revamping the transport fleet of the Indian Air force.

Much has been written about the old transport fleet of the IAF and the pressing need to replace older aircraft post the tragic crash of an AN-32 at Arunachal on 3rd of June, however this is not the first time the question of revamping the transport fleet of the Indian Air Force has been raised. It was just after the 26/11 attacks that in early 2009 the Ministry of Defence issued a directive to all three branches of the Indian Armed forces to prepare themselves for a two front conflict.

One of the primary requirements the IAF was asked to prepare for was the ability to shift large volumes of men and material over long distances quickly. The deficiencies exposed were to be alleviated in two ways.

  1. Immediate off the shelf purchase of ten (now eleven) C-17 strategic airlifters and another 12 C-130-j tactical airlift aircraft from the US.
  2. A longer term plan to acquire a replacement small transport aircraft for the HAL Avro hs-748 fleet via technology transfer followed by production in India. A second parallel track envisaged development of a Medium transport aircraft for replacement of the An-32 fleet in the Indian Air Force.

While the direct purchases proceeded at a rapid pace and brought much needed immediate relief and added support to the IAF both co development programs have floundered without an end in sight. While the Indian Air force has completed all formalities including price negotiations for the acquisition of some 62 Airbus C295 aircraft, the deal is yet to be signed as CCS clearances are pending, that said these clearances should be one of the first things for the Modi 2.0 cabinet to address. India also officially pulled out of an India Russia project to develop & build a 20T capacity medium airlifter to replace the AN-32 as both development teams could not find common ground, a replacement for the An-32 will need to be acquired from the global market now. This is alarming as the bulk of the current IAF fleet is made up of some 57 Avro’s and 104 An-32’s which are in dire need of replacement. Also the fleet of older Ilyushin IL76 Heavy transport aircraft which were acquired in the 1980’s are fast approaching the end of their service lives and will need replacement as well.

The C295 program should see some much needed traction by the end of 2019 as it is one of the major deals the new Govt is expected to sign soon after the complete budget is presented at the end of July. This should lead to the direct import of 16 C295s and the local assembly/licence-building of the remaining 46 aircraft at a facility set up by the JV between TASL & Airbus near Bangalore. In keeping with the terms of the 2013 MTA tender, 24 of these 46 aircraft will be imported in kit form for local assembly and include a 30% indigenous content. The level of indigenous content is then expected to double to 60% in the remaining 22 aircraft. The Delivery of the first locally assembled C295 is expected to begin within 60 months of the contract being signed & will for the first time since Independence give India two manufacturers of fully built large aircraft. Apart from building transporters for the IAF the facility at Bengaluru is likely to give Tata Airbus a leg up to build & offer the C-295 based MPA known as the “Persuader” as a possible replacement for the nearly 65 odd turboprop maritime patrol aircraft in service with the Indian Navy & Coast Guard. Other versions such as SIGINT/SAR & AEW versions will likely be built as well.

   

The Indo Russian MTA which was supposed to replace the An-32 has now been rechristened the Ilyushin-276 after India pulled out of the co-development program, this aircraft is still likely to remain one of the prime contenders to replace the 105 odd Antonovs in service with the IAF today. That said there are other contenders as well with the Antonov An-178 & Brazilian KC-390 fitting the bill as far as turbofan powered transporters are concerned. Apart from this the Lockheed Martin C-130 & An-132 are in the fray as well as turboprop powered aircraft. The Japanese Kawasaki C-2 might enter the fray as a surprise contender as well. The search for a future MTA should begin later this year & see these contenders undertake trials to prove themselves the best choice for what could turn into a 100+ aircraft mega order. That said the C-130 has a distinct advantage as it’s already in service with the Indian Air force & it can also lift far heavier loads than any of the other competitors.

There are few other jets that can match the IL-76 in carrying 40+ tonnes to remote Himalayan airstrips in Ladakh. The only comparable jet apart from the IL-76 that remains in production today is the Chinese Xian Y-20 which is not available for Indian use. This means the only two likely contenders are buying new built IL-76MD-90A from Russia or trying to acquire surplus USAF C-17 airlifters.

The Modi Government today has a unique opportunity to completely revamp the transport fleet of the IAF & leave behind a lasting legacy of having upgraded the airlift capabilities of India manifold., whether they will undertake this financially & operationally daunting task is another story altogether.

Author : Soumik Pyne has a day job as an engineer & is an independent commentator on Defence & Strategic affairs. He can be reached on his twitter id @Aryanwarlord

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