India is preparing to acquire up to 60 Medium Transport Aircraft to replace its ageing Soviet-era An-32 fleet under a program estimated at ₹1,00,000 crore. The proposed aircraft would carry between 18 and 30 tonnes, providing greater capacity for tactical and operational airlift. The tender calls for 12 aircraft to be supplied in flyaway condition and 48 to be manufactured in India, with more than 60 percent indigenous content targeted for the domestic production line. Indian companies including HAL, Tata Advanced Systems and Mahindra Defence are expected to partner with global manufacturers. Potential platforms include Lockheed Martin’s C-130J, with Tata Advanced Systems, and Embraer’s 26-tonne C-390 Millennium, with Mahindra Defence. The C-390 can conduct cargo and troop transport, airborne operations, medical evacuation, search and rescue, firefighting and humanitarian missions and can use temporary or unpaved runways. Russia is also promoting the 20-tonne Il-276, reviving a concept linked to the earlier Indo-Russian MTA program. However, sanctions, supply-chain concerns and interoperability requirements remain important considerations. The new fleet would support operations in difficult regions such as Ladakh and could also undertake missions including disaster relief and potentially air-to-air refuelling.
