Bhubaneswar: The European aerospace giant Airbus has officially proposed its Airbus A400M Atlas aircraft as a response to Indian Air Force’s ‘Request for Information’ (RFI) for a Medium Transport Aircraft. The RFI for a Medium Transport Aircraft issued by IAF seeks a platform that can perform operations with a maximum payload carrying capacity of 30 tonnes.
Previously having a deadline of December 2022, because of the delay in response from the global vendors the RFI in March 2023 was extended by the Indian Air Force.
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As per the current requirements, there are primarily three platforms in the run, which can become a fit for the MTA role for the IAF.
- Embraer C-390 Millennium
The first platform is the Brazilian Embraer C-390 Millennium, capable of carrying out multirole operations as medium transport aircraft and is currently in service of the Hungarian, Portuguese, and Brazilian forces. The C-390 is a twin-engine aircraft with a maximum payload carrying capacity of 20 tonnes which is close to what IAF requires.
- Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules
The second option is the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules, which is in service of IAF for more than a decade now. The C-130J is a tested platform and has proven its utility in the past. The aircraft has a maximum payload carrying capacity of 26 tonnes. Though Lockheed Martin’s offer in response to the ‘Request for Information’ issued by the IAF for the MTA role doesn’t meet all the requirements, but its operational utility for the IAF provides the platform an outside chance in the deal.
22nd batch of evacuees leaves Port Sudan.
135 passengers are flying to Jeddah onboard IAF C-130J aircraft. #OperationKaveri pic.twitter.com/xOz0ufFpiI
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) May 3, 2023
- Airbus A400M Atlas
The third on the list is Airbus A400M Atlas. Already in service of the Royal Air Force and German Air Force, is one of the premium aircraft in its class. The aircraft has a carrying capacity of 37 tonnes which is more than any of its competitors in the medium category, which makes it a viable option for the MTA role in IAF.
The Indian Air Force operates a variety of platforms for different transport operations, divided into three categories these are:
- Heavy Transport Aircraft
For the freighter role, Indian Air Force uses Russian Ilyushin Il-76, which can carry up to 50 tonnes of payload and are 17 in service currently. The other aircraft in this category is Boeing’s C-17 Globemaster III, which are 11 in service of IAF. The C-17 Globemaster has a maximum carrying capacity of 77 Tonnes.
Though there is a requirement for heavy lift aircraft in IAF, there aren’t options available globally currently to meet the requirement. Il-76 and C-17 have their own limitations as Il-76 has serviceability issues and Boeing stopped the manufacturing of C-17s in 2015.
- Light Transport Aircraft
In the light transport category, the IAF operates Avro-748 and Antonov AN-32, which are considered as the backbone of the IAF’s transportation fleet for their capabilities in moving troops and supplies in difficult terrains. There are currently over 100 AN-32s in service of the IAF. The other platform in this category is Dornier 228, which are 53 in number serving the IAF.
The Cabinet Committee on Security in September 2021 had approved a proposal for procuring 56 C-295 medium transport aircraft from Airbus Defence and Space SA as a replacement for the ageing fleet of AN-32s in a deal worth over Rs 21,000 crore. And with the induction of C-295s, the numbers of light transport aircraft seem to be in accordance with IAF’s current requirement in this category. The C-295 has a maximum carrying capacity of 8 tonnes.
- Medium Transport Aircraft
The Indian Air Force currently operates only one platform in this category, the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. There are only 12 C-130Js in service for IAF, which makes the MTA deal crucial for Indian Air Force considering its requirement for transport aircraft for the future.