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India Needs Its Own Heavy Airlifter as IL-76 Fleet Ages and C-17 ... Home » India Needs Its Own Heavy Airlifter as IL-76 Fleet Ages and C-17 Production Remains Closed Share: X Facebook VK WhatsApp SOURCE: AFI India’s strategic airlift capability is approaching a critical crossroads as the Indian Air Force (IAF) faces the gradual retirement of its aging IL-76 heavy transport aircraft while having limited options to expand its current fleet of C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. With the production line for the C-17 already closed and only 11 aircraft currently in Indian service, defense planners are increasingly recognizing the need for India to develop its own heavy transport aircraft comparable to the IL-76 or C-17 class. The IAF currently operates a fleet of 17 IL-76 aircraft that have served as the backbone of India’s heavy airlift capability for decades. These aircraft have played a crucial role in strategic troop deployments, disaster relief missions, and rapid transportation of military equipment across the country’s vast geography. However, as the aircraft approach the end of their operational lifespan, maintaining them will become increasingly difficult due to aging airframes a…

Lifeline for India's heavy-ift fleet? US weighs C-17 production restart US lawmakers are exploring restarting C-17 Globemaster III production due to rising operational demands, a move keenly watched by India. The Indian Air Force, which desired more C-17s before production ceased, still faces a significant heavy-lift gap. Boeing is open to restarting, but challenges remain, potentially offering India a chance to bolster its strategic airlift capabilities.

India's Quest to Build its own Lockheed Martin: Potential Cost ... As India's defence sector pushes towards modernization and self-reliance, the potential role of private companies in manufacturing military aircraft, particularly fighter jets, has become a subject of intense debate. A key question looms: if the private sector is entrusted with producing fighter jets, will the Indian Air Force (IAF) be willing to pay a premium for these indigenously assembled aircraft? Defence analysts have raised concerns about the potential cost implications of such an approach. While the idea of fostering domestic production of fighter jets under the "Make in India" initiative is appealing, the IAF may face challenges in accepting aircraft from private manufacturers at premium prices. One analyst cautioned, "We want to follow the US model and create Lockheed Martin and Boeing of our own military aerospace majors. But to achieve this, we would need to buy their aircraft at prices that will be controlled by them, and also be ready to fund them as they demand." This perspective highlights the complexities of achieving self-reliance in defence production. While the "Make in India" program has ambiti…

An-32 Aircraft: Golden Opportunity To Realize 'Make In India' Dream ... Share Facebook X WhatsApp ReddIt The induction of the C295 into the Indian Air Force brings into focus another workhorse transport plane of the IAF, the Ukrainian Antonov An-32. India has the option of fully localizing its manufacturing with spare parts and engines for its advanced An-132 variant when the need arises to replace it. The C295, on the contrary, has little to no local manufacturing, whereas Tata Advanced Systems Limited’s (TASL) involvement is limited to assembling the plane from knocked-down kits. The Antonov option better serves India’s ‘Make in India’ through defense and employment generation goals. Ukraine’s Antonov, whose An-32 serves the IAF as its workhorse medium-lift transport, has long offered to develop, test, and manufacture its An-132 advanced variant in the country. Defense industry sources say the proposal also covers manufacturing the full range of spare parts and components with local Indian companies, building upon the An-32’s domestic vendor base developed over the last 40 years. C295s to Replace Vintage Avro HS-748s On September 20, the first C-295 landed at Gujarat’s Vadodara …

India's 5th-gen fighter, the AMCA, looks to move off the drawing board ... The Tejas (above) is an essential stepping stone towards building the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (Part 4 of a four-part series on the Tejas fighter) By Ajai Shukla HAL, Bengaluru Business Standard, 31st May 24 The US has its F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, Russia has its Sukhoi-57, China has its J-20 Chengdu and J-31 Shenyang – all of them 5 th -generation (Gen-5) combat aircraft, built to rule the skies. The Indian Air Force (IAF) isn’t ready to be left behind. With the experience gained from building the Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA), New Delhi is pushing its aircraft production monopoly, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), to join hands with the Defence Research & Development Organisation’s (DRDO’s) Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) to build an Indian Gen-5 fighter: dubbed the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). Business Standard was granted an exclusive briefing at HAL Bengaluru on the progress of the AMCA project. “The [AMCA] project has just begun and it is coming along well. We are building in close cooperation with ADA. About 35-40 per cent of the aircraft has been allocated to …

Why India's AMCA still needs a US engine, and so do many of the world's fighters India's ambitious fifth-generation fighter jet program faces a significant hurdle as the cost of crucial US-made engines has reportedly tripled, jeopardizing timelines and budgets. This reliance on foreign propulsion systems, also impacting the Tejas Mk2, highlights a persistent challenge in developing world-class fighter jet engines domestically. While other nations also depend on foreign engines initially, India's pursuit of strategic autonomy hinges on mastering this complex technology.

India's Airlift Dilemma: The Strategic Weak Link in the IAF's Arsenal India's Airlift Dilemma The strength of any air force is not measured by fighter jets alone. True military power lies in the ability to project force, sustain operations, and respond swiftly to crises across vast distances. For India, a rising power with growing responsibilities in the Indo-Pacific, airlift capability is not a luxury — it is a necessity. Yet, the Indian Air Force (IAF) finds itself at a crossroads. Its heavy-lift and tactical transport fleet , the backbone of military logistics, is under severe stress. With production lines closed, aging aircraft nearing retirement, and urgent replacements pending, India faces a pressing question: How will it sustain its strategic lift in the decades ahead? The Heavy-Lift Crisis C-17 Globe Master III C-17 Globemaster III: The Crown Jewel with Limits India’s fleet of 11 Boeing C-17 Globemaster IIIs forms the core of its heavy-lift capability. These aircraft are capable of transporting tanks, troops, and humanitarian aid across continents, giving the IAF unparalleled reach. However, with the production line shut in 2015 and no new units available, India is left wi…