Modernizing India's Airlift: The MTA, An-32 & IL-76 Replacement, and Evolving IAF Doctrine

In a candid interview with Bharat Shakti, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhuri outlined the Indian Air Force's (IAF) vision for modernizing its vital airlift capabilities.

The recently issued Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) tender signals a critical shift in IAF strategy, with plans to phase out legacy Soviet-era workhorses like the An-32 and IL-76 in the early 2030s.

The Search for the Ideal Workhorse​

The Indian Air Force needs a true workhorse, demonstrating versatility while balancing strategic and tactical needs. The desired cargo capacity of 25-40 tons leaves the IAF with an interesting choice to make. This range places the requirement squarely between traditional 'medium' and 'heavy' airlifter categories.

This ambiguity, combined with the shortlist of contenders, hints at several potential IAF priorities:

• Embraer C-390M (Brazil): At the lower end of the desired payload range, the C-390M could represent a desire for a higher number of aircraft for tactical airlift in challenging terrain and a focus on affordability.
• Airbus A400M (Europe): Offering superior payload, the A400M could signal a move towards larger formations of heavier airlifters focused on strategic reach with fewer aircraft needed overall.
• Lockheed Martin C-130J (USA): While a proven platform, falling short of the capacity requirement might indicate the C-130J is only in the running if the IAF lowers its payload target.

Beyond Payload: Critical Factors for the IAF​

The final MTA selection won't be based on payload alone. Here's what else the IAF will likely consider in its decision:

• Operating Range: India's vast geography and strategic interests demand an aircraft with significant range, even with mid-air refueling capabilities factored in.
• Fuel Efficiency: Lower operational costs are a vital factor in the current budgetary climate, potentially giving an edge to platforms like the fuel-sipping C-390M.
• Life-Cycle Costs: Initial acquisition is only one part of the equation. IAF will analyze maintenance, upgrade potential, and long-term ownership costs.
• 'Make in India' Factor: Domestic production requirements might strongly influence the final choice, possibly giving a hidden edge to a contender willing to establish a substantial manufacturing base in India.

Conclusion​

The MTA tender is more than just a procurement decision– it reflects the evolving doctrines of the IAF. The choice that's ultimately made will indicate whether India prioritizes:

• Tactical Flexibility: Emphasizing a larger number of smaller aircraft to support operations in diverse, challenging terrain.
• Strategic Reach: Focusing on fewer, larger aircraft capable of projecting power over vast distances quickly.

Whichever direction the IAF chooses, the MTA program will shape its airlift abilities and strategic posture for decades to come.

 

[Ashutosh]

Not a good thought, IL 76 is much different from MTA- if we go by that way , then the only possible aircraft is A400M again which is not equivalent to IL 76.

I just hope this won't lead to a new fu*cked up thing. IAF only realises their mistakes after suffering consequences.

 

[Vf Feb]

These r tactics to confuse everybody ..manufactureres to vendors to buyers to govt

 

[Amit Ray]

Why is it that within 9 years of this present govt, every thing needs to be replaced, from army uniforms, guns, night vision equipments, tanks,howitzers, planes, refuellers, transport aircrafts and whatnot. Why earlier govt didn't do anything, are they not accountable? Shouldn't they be prosecuted for ignoring national security??

 

[desigandu]

A-400Ms produced in India with TOT, MRO, Exports and ability to upgrade and of course less costly - may not be possible, so we will have to optimize either on cost or capacity or both.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

They seem to have revised the RFI from previous 18-30 tons to the 25-30 tons. That actually makes sense, as the previous requirement was opaque and did not really highlight the requirement accurately. Now that the new requirement elicits aircraft in range of 25-40 tons, there are only 3 aircraft that fit the bill. Since the aircraft is supposed to also replace the AN-32, the KC-390 Millennium sits in the requirement range right in the middle, while the other two aircraft that meet specification are the Kawasaki C-2 and the A400M Atlas with payloads of 32 tons and 37 tons respectively.

 

[Pink Panther]

Not a good thought, IL 76 is much different from MTA- if we go by that way , then the only possible aircraft is A400M again which is not equivalent to IL 76.

I just hope this won't lead to a new fu*cked up thing. IAF only realises their mistakes after suffering consequences.

I think Embraer/Mahindra pays more for Advertisement among these three vendors , to meC130J with 20-ton payload fits the best if not IL-76, it will also be helpful with the logistics as we already operate them, also it comes from one source Lockheed, instead of Embraer that depends on various coutries and more prone to sanctions, A400 is too big and doesn't match the requirement set for MTA.

 

[Ashutosh]

I think Embraer/Mahindra pays more for Advertisement among these three vendors , to meC130J with 20-ton payload fits the best if not IL-76, it will also be helpful with the logistics as we already operate them, also it comes from one source Lockheed, instead of Embraer that depends on various coutries and more prone to sanctions, A400 is too big and doesn't match the requirement set for MTA.

I think you didn't get it- IAF is looking for IL76 replacement in an MTA i.e. a medium transport aircraft replacing a heavy transport - so the MTA shall be as large as possible - thus the only option left is A400m

 

[Pink Panther]

I think you didn't get it- IAF is looking for IL76 replacement in an MTA i.e. a medium transport aircraft replacing a heavy transport - so the MTA shall be as large as possible - thus the only option left is A400m

A400 falls into large Transport Aircraft segment like IL-76, there is not much of a difference in payload betweel IL-76 and A-400 40t vs 37t, so for MTA it will either be Embraer or C-130J, between these two Embraer with 26t payload is too complicated like Gripen as it depends on various coutries for parts, C-130j with 20t payload made in India for India and the World would be a better option.

 

[Ashutosh]

A400 falls into large Transport Aircraft segment like IL-76, there is not much of a difference in payload betweel IL-76 and A-400 40t vs 37t, so for MTA it will either be Embraer or C-130J, between these two Embraer with 26t payload is too complicated like Gripen as it depends on various coutries for parts, C-130j with 20t payload made in India for India and the World would be a better option.

U r right...I m just asking on what basis is the MTA equivalent to HTA!? On what basis IAF can see the replacement of IL 76 in an MTA!?

 

[Mithu Roy]

India should purchase the aircraft which gives 100 tot.
Even if you get lesser capabilities,it's worth it for manufacturing and understanding the designs

 

[Kirit Patel]

Not a good thought, IL 76 is much different from MTA- if we go by that way , then the only possible aircraft is A400M again which is not equivalent to IL 76.

I just hope this won't lead to a new fu*cked up thing. IAF only realises their mistakes after suffering consequences.

GOI should go with A-400M and let TATA manufacture in Vadodra Plant. Do not Trust USA.

 

[Kirit Patel]

India should purchase the aircraft which gives 100 tot.
Even if you get lesser capabilities,it's worth it for manufacturing and understanding the designs

There is not much technology in Cargo planes, but India need to develop Parts and eco syatem for further development.

 

[beencensured]

There is not much technology in Cargo planes, but India need to develop Parts and eco syatem for further development.

Correct making a cargo plane takes the least technology, but the adage if you never try then how will be made? Without risk there is no award.

 

[Pink Panther]

U r right...I m just asking on what basis is the MTA equivalent to HTA!? On what basis IAF can see the replacement of IL 76 in an MTA!?

that is something only IA knows, the selection will boil down to who offers more (I mean everything).

 

[SURESH RAO]

India's Defence Story is sick. Till 2019, all of India's Defense Acquisition was buy Foreign

 

[Anant]

Why is it that within 9 years of this present govt, every thing needs to be replaced, from army uniforms, guns, night vision equipments, tanks,howitzers, planes, refuellers, transport aircrafts and whatnot. Why earlier govt didn't do anything, are they not accountable? Shouldn't they be prosecuted for ignoring national security??

Stuff has been getting replaced, but not as quickly as it should. Basically, modernisation is running behind schedule to obsolescence, so the longer you go, the more critical your situation tends to become.

Yes, there is the blame to be attributed to previous governments as well as the Armed Forces, but the Armed Forces and the present government today also share some of that blame. Arguably, one can even say that in some cases (MRFA for instance), the blame can be solely attributed to the present government.

 

[Anant]

India's Defence Story is sick. Till 2019, all of India's Defense Acquisition was buy Foreign

That is a very disingenuous way to look at it. India's defence procurement has been a story of three divergent trajectories.

On one hand, the Army has historically had the largest share of the budget, and one can say their share has been disproportionately large. So, what they did over the years was to import most high-tech equipment (not that we could develop our own tank in the 1960s or 1970s), and slowly procure low-key items from India itself. Now, the trap they fell into here was that when they did start comparing Indian defence equipment with foreign equipment, they started (in most cases) expecting the same standards from Indian equipment as they did from the foreign equipment for a fraction of the price. Since this condition was nonsensical to start with, they kept procuring foreign equipment even when the Indian equipment was arguably better occasionally.

The Air Force had a decent share of the defence budget from 1950 itself. However, since there was absolutely no question of India developing it's own aircraft at that point, they started with foreign acquisitions. The pace of technology and the geopolitical scenario we found ourselves in back then meant our aircraft suppliers varied wildly (the UK, then France, then the USSR, then again France and the UK alongside the USSR / Russia). As such, they were always engaged in the game of playing catch-up. However, when indigenous aircraft such as the Marut did come up, they looked at the Army, and took the wrong lesson: Expecting the same standards as foreign aircraft for a cheaper price. They took it one step further by outright refusing to even consider indigenous projects for years, which didn't help matters and all that had been learnt in developing the Marut was soon forgotten. Then, when they started with the Tejas, they effectively started from scratch, and we are still seeing the results today.

The Navy is an entirely different story. From 1950 onwards, they have always been underfunded by a fair extent. What this meant that while they could purchase cheap ships from foreign nations in the 1950s and 1960s, this wasn't sustainable since ships were becoming significantly more expensive (and larger) due to technology. On top of that, warships were big ticket items, so getting any acquisition through the government was a challenge.

That left the Navy with only one option: Design and builf our own ships. Of course, specialised ships would still have to be purchased outright (carriers, submarines, ASW corvettes, etc.). However, the idea was then to build a few designs locally under license and learn how ships were designed. The Nilgiri-class project of the 1960s (derived from the British Leander-class) and it's subsequent rework into the Godavari- and Brahmaputra-classes is an excellent example of this. However, since a native defence industry didn't exist as such, a lot of subsystems had to be imported, and this is only something that is now being rectified.

Come the 1970s and 1980s, and the Navy faced a block obsolescence issue. Most ships purchased in the 1940s and 1950s were at the end of their life. While the Navy could theoretically design replacements, construction capacity was limited, which is why you see acquisitions such as the Veer-class (Tarantul mod.) corvettes or the Rajput-class (Kashin mod.) destroyers in the 1980s. The Navy was working on a new class of frigates and corvettes (what would eventually become the Godavari-, Brahmaputra-, Khukri-, Kora-, and eventually the Delhi-classes).

So, as you can see, each Armed Force approached modernisation differently all the way back from the 1950s. There is no magic number in 2019. Yes, a lot has happened since then, but one can also argue a lot of those things have origins in the 1990s and 2000s.

 

[BCharlie]

Why is it that within 9 years of this present govt, every thing needs to be replaced, from army uniforms, guns, night vision equipments, tanks,howitzers, planes, refuellers, transport aircrafts and whatnot. Why earlier govt didn't do anything, are they not accountable? Shouldn't they be prosecuted for ignoring national security??

Sirji, Commissions jo khani hein na. Khareedein gei nahi tou commissions kahan sir aur keisey khainge.

 

[Sandeep]

The article left out one other crucial plane. The Ukrainian Antonov 70 can carry a higher load than the three planes mentioned above. The plane can carry around 50t which makes this plane the ideal and best plane for the MTA competition and the technology has been upgraded to the modern requirements and standards that's expected today. Another main benefit is that we could get a very good deal as Ukraine needs the money and we could get a large amount of technology transfer, local production and a much cheaper price than what other companies are charging. Another key benefit is that this can teach India how to design and develop a MTA so after this plane is retired we will have our own indigenous MTA version in place. Another important technology that they have developed is the D27 propfan engine which is reliable, fuel efficient and high thrust which has a low maintenance need.

 

[Benith]

The article left out one other crucial plane. The Ukrainian Antonov 70 can carry a higher load than the three planes mentioned above. The plane can carry around 50t which makes this plane the ideal and best plane for the MTA competition and the technology has been upgraded to the modern requirements and standards that's expected today. Another main benefit is that we could get a very good deal as Ukraine needs the money and we could get a large amount of technology transfer, local production and a much cheaper price than what other companies are charging. Another key benefit is that this can teach India how to design and develop a MTA so after this plane is retired we will have our own indigenous MTA version in place. Another important technology that they have developed is the D27 propfan engine which is reliable, fuel efficient and high thrust which has a low maintenance need.

A foreign trip on Indian tax payer money to Ukraine does not feel great for any Indian officer(IAS or armed forces) let alone the top brass compared to lets say airbus's facilities in France or Germany. We are engaging with Ukraine for AN-32 and some other aeroengines because its a legacy of USSR.

 

[Benith]

C-390 already has a civil certification and reportedly has a stretched military\civilian design in the pipeline. If the mahindras can pull this off with sufficient TOT, they will have a military order for 100+ planes including for the tanker version. Lets face it the new tanker competition for A-330 or KC-46 will meet the same fate as previous tanker competitions. We don't need such huge capacity tanker aircraft to fly intercontinental missions. KC-390 can fulfil all of IAF tanker missions. A civilian version of C-390 for domestic air travel will also be quite useful for the Indian domestic market and aligns with the PM's vision of having Airbus or Boeing manufacture their planes in India. Since C-390 uses the same engine as old A-320, it will be cost efficient and reliable for operators to switch to C-390 civilian version as well.

 

[Sandeep]

A foreign trip on Indian tax payer money to Ukraine does not feel great for any Indian officer(IAS or armed forces) let alone the top brass compared to lets say airbus's facilities in France or Germany. We are engaging with Ukraine for AN-32 and some other aeroengines because its a legacy of USSR.

We have to replace those ageing planes with some plane. The taxpayers don’t want their money spent on expensive planes from airbus or embraer etc. They would prefer to use it on the best affordable price. They would want their money being spent on development or infrastructure that benefits them like water, gas, electric connections or a large amount of subsidised houses or flats, roads, rail, airports, internet etc which is what the taxpayer want rather than paying a large amount of money on a transport plane which they could of got it cheaper.

The Antonov 70 is the best and affordable plane and Ukraine would give us a large amount of the technology and local production as they need money for their war so India should take advantage of this opportunity as making the planes in India would teach us how to design and develop our own plane.

 

[Sunnyj]

Kawasaki C2 much better than A400m. Flies higher, faster and longer. Not to mention that cargo area height is much less in A400 for half the area. Not sure if C2 is now certified for rough field landing though. With modern engines and winglets it will be much much better.
C390 vs C130: C130 much better, stick with it.
Il-76 too narrow fuselage, erratic spare parts supply.
An-70 Are they still producing after the attack on their factory, too risky anyway.

 

[పవన్కుమార్]

Good Decision . The best decision is also there. Retrofit IL76 and use it as Kaveri Engine Test Bed Aircraft that conducts High altitude test trials like one does IL 76 in russia does. Probably agreement and retrofit IL76 with the help of russia shall help save kaveri engine test bed facility. 👍🏻