India is moving forward with a major plan to acquire 60 new tactical transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force in a program valued at about 1 trillion rupees. Approved by the Defence Procurement Board, the proposal will next be reviewed by the Defence Acquisition Council. Under the “Buy and Make” framework, 12 aircraft would be delivered fully built while the remaining 48 would be assembled in India with local industry participation. The new aircraft are intended to replace aging Soviet-era transports such as the An-32 and Il-76.
