# Air Force launches Rs 1 lakh crore mission to build 60 transport aircraft 2026-08-14T00:49:09+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Defence Ministry has issued tenders to five Indian companies, HAL, Tata, Mahindra, Adani Defence and Reliance, to build 60 Medium Transport Aircraft for the Indian Air Force under a Rs 1 lakh crore programme. The IAF wants to replace ageing cargo planes with next-generation multi-role transport aircraft capable of carrying 18-30 tonnes, and possibly configured for aerial refuelling. Tata has partnered with Lockheed Martin to offer the C-130J Super Hercules, while Mahindra has tied up with Brazil's Embraer for the C-390 Millennium. Around 20 per cent of the aircraft will be delivered in fly-away condition; the rest will be built in India with over 60 per cent indigenous content through joint ventures. ## Coverage - english.mathrubhumi.com - indiatoday.in This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-09-27T06:13:44+00:00. Tags: aerospace manufacturing, Defence procurement, Indian Air Force, Make in India, transport aircraft Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/air-force-launches-rs-1-lakh-crore-mission-to-build-60-transport-aircraft/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/air-force-launches-rs-1-lakh-crore-mission-to-build-60-transport-aircraft/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/