Now Reading: Air Force launches Rs 1 lakh crore mission to build 60 transport aircraft
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Air Force launches Rs 1 lakh crore mission to build 60 transport aircraft
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…
The Story in Brief
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.
The Indian Opinion
The Rs 1 lakh crore MTA programme is being sold as a clean win for Make in India, but the fine print matters. Only 20 per cent of aircraft will come fly-away; the rest must hit 60 per cent indigenous content. Past defence deals have promised local manufacturing and delivered assembly lines that mostly bolt foreign parts together. The real test will be whether HAL, Tata, Mahindra, Adani or Reliance actually transfer design know-how and build a domestic supply chain, or simply become local agents for Lockheed Martin and Embraer. Watch for the percentage of Indian-made components in the first India-built airframe.
Sources (2): 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.
