At first glance, the transport fleet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) seems to be in good shape. After enduring many years of growing obsolescence, it is currently acquiring some of the finest airlift aircraft in the world. The newly inducted Boeing C-17 Globemaster III and the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules have brought cheer to weary transport crews who were at their wits’ end trying to cope with growing tasks and dwindling operational fleet. Unlike the endless saga of the medium multirole combat aircraft (MMRCA), the deals for these two airlifters have been remarkably smooth. Indeed, the recent decision of the Ministry of Defence to purchase another six C-130J aircraft may have taken even the IAF by surprise, because there are so many other urgent purchases pending. But appearances can be deceptive. A transport fleet must be balanced to meet its wide-ranging commitments. While the C-17 and the C-130J are a huge boost to the high-profile strategic end of the IAF’s capability, what about the more humble but equally necessary tactical end?

A Strategic Leap: the C-17

When the IAF first began its transformation into a strategic force, it was clear that the transport fleet was in great distress. The Ilyushin IL-76MD aircraft inducted from the Soviet Union from 1985 onwards were particularly inadequate. Although these four-engine jets had proven their worth on many occasions, poor product support had blunted their capability as less than half were operational. However, the IAF was able to swiftly obtain an excellent replacement through the US Government’s foreign military sales (FMS) programme. A deal worth $4.1 billion was signed in 2011 for the purchase of ten C-17 strategic airlift aircraft. Against the 43-tonne payload capacity of the IL-76, the C-17’s 74.8 tonnes is a massive improvement. The first five four-engine C-17s have been inducted into the newlyformed 81 Skylord Squadron based at the Air Force Station Hindon and immediately pressed into service. The remaining five are expected by the end of this year.

The IAF makes no secret of the fact that it would like to have at least six more C-17s, but a deal is yet to be inked. In the meantime, Boeing has announced that its C-17 production line will close in 2015. If the IAF’s fleet of C-17s does swell to 16, half the number would probably be based at Panagarh, West Bengal. That’s where the headquarters of the Indian Army’s XVII Corps will be located. This new Mountain Strike Corps will provide substantial ground offensive capabilities against China for the first time.

For the next few years, the IAF’s heavy-lift capability will be sizeable, because the IL-76 will still be operational. In keeping with the service’s three-pronged transformation plan—“preserve and maintain”, “upgrade and improve” and “replace and acquire” —the remaining IL-76s will continue in service for some more years, perhaps with the help of a midlife upgrade. Thereafter, assuming an average service life of 25 years, the strategic fleet would consist solely of C-17s which should be flying till almost 2040. An upgrade could keep them operational till around mid-century.

Special Operator: the C-130J

The current modernisation of the IAF’s transport fleet began in 2007 when six C-130J Super Hercules four-engine aircraft were ordered. The $962-million contract was also under the US Government’s FMS programme. These six turboprops have already proved invaluable during natural calamities. The IAF has the C-130J-30 version customised for special operations, a first for the service and it can deploy Special Forces even in total darkness. It has a maximum payload capacity of 19 tonnes or 92 fully-equipped troops.

In December, India and the US inked a $1.01-billion contract for six additional C-130J aircraft. While the first six aircraft equip 77 Veiled Vipers Squadron are based at Air Force Station Hindon, the incoming six also configured for special operations, are expected to be based at Panagarh. These 12 C-130J aircraft should be adequate to meet the nation’s special operations needs for the next 20-25 years and beyond. Since their payload capacity verges on the strategic, they can also augment the heavy-lift capability if required. The C-130 has been around since 1957 and is still in production. It is today the world’s most widely used military transport aircraft in service with more than 50 countries and it is noted for its longevity, with the oldest known example having already served 47 years with over 32,000 hours in the air. The IAF is therefore assured of long and faithful service.

Extended Wait for the MTA

The backbone of the IAF’s transport fleet is currently the Antonov An-32 twin-turboprop medium-tactical transport aircraft which were inducted from 1984 onwards. A $400 million contract signed in 2009 covers the midlife upgrade of 104 An-32s. The programme encompasses total technical life extension for 40 aircraft in Ukraine by March this year. Thereafter the contract specifies supply of material and transfer of technology for the remaining 64 aircraft to be upgraded at the IAF’s 1 Base Repair Depot at Kanpur by March 2017. The cockpit layout is being modernised, noise and vibration levels reduced, crew comfort, reliability and maintainability enhanced. The payload capacity is also being increased from 6.7 tonnes to 7.5 tonnes. The refurbishment of the airframe as well as improved avionics will help increase the service life of the fleet to 40 years i.e. till at least 2025, with some aircraft remaining operational beyond 2030.

But eventually the An-32 will be replaced by a new twinjet, the multi-role transport aircraft (MTA). In September 2010, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) signed a joint venture agreement with the United Aircraft Corporation of Russia to co-develop this new high wing, rear loading, tactical transport aircraft. The MTA, fitted with a pair of Russian PD-14M turboshaft engines, will cruise at about 430 knots, with a range of up to 1,460 nautical miles and a payload capacity of about 18.5 tonnes. It will be able to operate from paved or unpaved airfields at 3,300 metres above sea level. It will have fly-bywire, full authority digital engine control, modern avionics and a glass cockpit. It is expected to fly for the first time in 2017 and enter production in 2019. The IAF intends to order just 45 MTA to begin with and since the payload capacity will be more than twice that of the An-32s and a diminishing number of An-32s would still be in service, this should suffice. However, once the An-32s are withdrawn, some more MTA are likely to be inducted. The aircraft would probably remain operational till 2045 and beyond.

Avro Replacement: Marked Urgent

The IAF’s medium-lift air transport tasks are currently being met by the 104 An-32s and about 56 HS 748 Avro aircraft on the inventory. The twin-turboprop Avros with a payload capacity of 5.1 tonnes were acquired from Britain’s Hawker Siddeley from 1964 onwards and later produced under licence by HAL. There is a pressing need to replace the ageing Avro fleet and it cannot be postponed much longer. To this end, a global tender worth about $2.5 billion for the supply of 56 new aircraft was issued in May 2013. The request for proposal (RFP) was sent to eight foreign manufacturers and specifications that it would purchase a twin-engine cargo aircraft with six-eight tonne payload capacity, a cruise speed of 800 km/h and a range of 2,500-2,800 kilometres. Sixteen aircraft will be bought off-the-shelf from a foreign original equipment manufacturer (OEM) who must tie up with one or more Indian private sector players to produce another 40 planes in India. Of these, the first 16 need to have 30 per cent indigenous content and the remaining 24 must have 60 per cent indigenous content. The aim is to encourage India’s private sector to get involved in the aerospace industry.

The two leading contenders for the Avro replacement deal are Airbus Military’s C-295 and Alenia Aermacchi’s C-27J Spartan. The C-295 is a twin-turboprop tactical transporter that can carry 71 troops or a payload of 9,250 kg. It has a maximum take-off weight of 23,200 kg, cruise speed of 480 kmph and range of 1,300 km with full payload. Airbus Military has also launched the uprated C-295W with winglets and more powerful engines especially for the Indian market. The C-27J Spartan is also a twin-turboprop, an advanced derivative of Alenia Aeronautica’s G-222. It has a capacity of 60 troops or 46 paratroops or a payload of 11,500 kg. Its maximum take-off weight is 30,500 kg. It has a cruise speed of 583 kmph and a range of 1,852 km with 10,000 kg payload. Being turboprops, both these aircraft are cost-efficient to operate. Although neither has the desired cruise speed of 800 kmph and range of 2,500-2,800 km, these stipulations in the RFP may need to be relaxed as they appear somewhat unrealistic, especially for a turboprop. Lately, however, a couple of other issues have impeded progress on this crucial project.

From the industry point of view, the order of 56 aircraft seems too small to justify the expenditure incurred on setting up a new production line. This issue might be addressed by providing some assurance of further orders, possibly by the other defence services and paramilitary organisations or even civil regional airlines. The IAF’s potential requirement has been fixed purely to replace its existing Avro fleet. However, if sufficient MTA are not inducted to replace the outgoing An-32s, the need for Avro-class aircraft might actually increase. The Indian partner of the programme could also be awarded a 25-year lifecycle contract to make the proposal viable.

Praful Patel, Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, has raised another objection. He feels that public sector undertakings (PSUs) like HAL should not be denied an opportunity to compete for the order. The IAF has since extended the deadline to March 8, 2014. However, Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry, rightly points out that revisiting the programme at this advanced stage would not only stall this project but also discourage private industry from investing in future defence projects. HAL is already overburdened with numerous contracts and is often unable to meet agreed timelines, resulting in huge cost overruns for the IAF. Competition between HAL and the private sector will help make the industry more efficient.

If all goes well, around 2035, the IAF will have a range of transport aircraft that will enable it to meet any airlift requirement, whether strategic or tactical. Strategic transport aircraft make good headlines, but decision-makers should not lose sight of the fact that tactical transporters are equally necessary. And the national interest must not be equated solely with HAL as a private Indian company can be as good as HAL in safeguarding the country’s security interests.

Unless the Avro replacement programme and the MTA project are pursued with vigour, the IAF may find itself in a tricky situation on account of its dwindling tactical transport fleet not too many years from now.