India launches near Rs 1 lakh crore tender for 60 new transport aircraft

The defence ministry has floated a Request for Proposal worth nearly Rs 1 lakh crore to procure 60 medium transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force, representing one of the biggest aviation procurements in years. The initiative seeks to retire the Soviet-era An-32, which has served for about forty years and recently suffered a fatal crash in Jorhat that claimed five lives. Three contenders are in the running: Airbus’s A400M with a 37-ton payload, Embraer’s C-390 Millennium capable of lifting 26 tons, and Lockheed Martin’s C-130J, already operating with the IAF and able to carry over 20 tons.

The selected aircraft will also assume some missions currently performed by the ageing Il-76 fleet, enhancing the IAF’s ability to operate in challenging terrains like Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. Beyond combat roles, the modernised fleet will bolster India’s capacity for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, as demonstrated by recent aid missions to quake-hit Venezuela.