Since the birth of the Indian Air Force (IAF), its transport fleet has primarily been a tactical fleet. Its periodic modernisation over the years have been through the induction of military transport aircraft of foreign origin such as the C-47 Dakota and the C-119 Fairchild Packet from the United States, the Russian IL-14, An-12 aircraft and a few de-Havilland DHC-4 Caribou from Canada. All these aircraft were in the ‘tactical’ category and many of them were refurbished old machines. However, beginning in the 1960s, the IAF inducted from the UK, a fleet of new Hawker Siddley HS 748 Avro, a twin-turboprop transport aircraft of five-tonne payload capacity, which the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), later built under licence at its facility at Kanpur.

The Avro, although originally designed for civilian use, was employed by the IAF to ferry passengers and cargo. The intrinsic design of the aircraft was not suited for military tasks such as delivery of paratroopers or air supplies. Some aircraft of the IAF, however, were modified for loading of military cargo and for airdrop of paratroopers. Though obsolete, the existing fleet of 50 plus aircraft is now slated for replacement.

Later, owing to geopolitical reasons, it became difficult to procure military hardware from Western sources and as such, the IAF had no option but to rely almost entirely on the Soviet Union for military aircraft, which included transport aircraft in the medium and heavy lift category. It was in the mid-1980s that the IAF, for the first time acquired true, but limited, strategic airlift capability by way of induction of a fleet of 17, four-engine IL-76 heavy-lift aircraft from the Soviet Union. Almost simultaneously, tactical airlift capability of the IAF also received a boost with the induction of a new and customised fleet of 104 twin-turboprop An-32 medium lift transport aircraft, also from the Soviet Union.

It was around the same time that the Dornier-228, a twin-turboprop light utility aircraft of 2.3-tonne payload capacity, was procured from Dornier GmbH of Germany and cleared for licensed production by HAL. This aircraft continues in service in the IAF for communication duties, as also for the basic training of pilots on transport aircraft.

Modernisation of the Transport Fleet

Over the last nearly seven decades, the transport fleet of the IAF has undoubtedly come a long way. At the turn of the century, however, practically the whole of the transport fleet on the inventory of the IAF, bulk of which was inducted in the mid-1980s, was overtaken by obsolescence and was fast approaching the end of its total technical life. For the geostrategic challenges that the nation was being called upon to face, an urgent need was felt for induction of state-of-the-art platforms to build new capabilities, literally from scratch. With this objective in view, the IAF embarked on a major drive towards modernisation of the transport fleet. This time round, however, because of the radically altered geopolitical environment, other options were available rather than being tethered to the traditional Russian source. The IAF, quite understandably, and correctly supported by the government, opted for the most advanced technologies that it could access within the limits of affordability.

In 2008, the IAF placed orders with the US aerospace major Lockheed Martin for six C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft, powered by four turboprop engines. The aircraft were procured by the IAF through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme of the US Government for $1.059 billion ( Rs. 5,825 crore). Although the C-130 platform was conceived in the early 1950s, the Super Hercules C-130J model is radically different from its ancestors. Customised for India for Special Operations, these aircraft are capable of all-routine operational transport tasks and have been in service with the IAF since 2011. For Special Operations, the aircraft is equipped with systems to facilitate highly accurate navigation, in complete darkness at ultra-low level, without any help from ground-based radio/navigational aids, and deliver Special Forces on target with devastating accuracy. So satisfied is the IAF that it has now ordered for another six aircraft.

The most important deal to be finalised in the recent past has been the $4.1 billion ( Rs. 22,550 crore) order for ten, four-engine, C-17 Globemaster III, heavy-lift aircraft, manufactured by Boeing Defense, Space & Security of USA. Also being acquired through the FMS route, all ten aircraft are expected to be with the IAF by the end of the year. The IAF has plans to order six more bringing the fleet strength to 16.

The C-17 has the capacity to lift 77 tonnes as against 43 tonnes of the IL-76; with 16 aircraft, the overall strategic airlift capability of the IAF, hence, will be significantly boosted. Besides this, the C-17 with a full load can operate from airstrips as short as 3,000 feet. The aircraft would also provide a transcontinental range of 2,420 nautical miles, considerably enhanced by in-flight refuelling. Its capability to land at short, semi-prepared airstrips, just as the C-130J, is crucial for India to counter China’s build-up of military infrastructure all along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control, which includes an extensive rail and road network, as well as five new airbases in Tibet. The C-17s and the C-130Js will come into play with the progressive upgrading of advanced landing grounds (ALGs) along the border with China, both in Eastern Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. The C-130J has already displayed its prowess by landing at the airstrip at Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO), at a height of more than 19,000 ft, surprising even its designers with its performance.

The C-17, which is regarded as the most advanced military transport aircraft in the world today, is ideally suited for not only power projection in any part of the world, but also for humanitarian assistance, disaster relief operations and emergency evacuation of Indian citizens abroad, from areas in turmoil. The C-130J has been deployed in a number of disaster relief operations such as in Uttarakhand, Odisha, as far as in Philippines and more recently, in Jammu and Kashmir. Although generally categorised as a tactical transport aircraft, capability-wise it can well undertake strategic airlift tasks as well.

Apart from acquiring the strategic airlift capability, the IAF is also working towards a complete revamp of its fleet of tactical transport aircraft. The 100-odd, five-tonne payload capacity, An-32 aircraft, acquired in the mid-1980s, are currently undergoing a mid-life upgrade in Ukraine and India. With the mid-life the upgrade, the An-32 fleet will remain in service till around 2022. HAL has entered into an agreement with United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) of Russia, for a joint venture project dubbed as the UAC/HAL IL-214 multi-role transport aircraft (MTA). The project involves design, development and manufacture of a 20-tonne class, twin-jet, high wing, T-Tail, rear loading military transport aircraft to replace the ageing An-32 fleet. The aircraft is also being designed for civil use. The project is progressing at a slow pace; the maiden flight of the prototype is expected sometime this year, followed by entry into service a few years later, hopefully before the end of the decade. The initial order by the IAF is for 45 aircraft, but more of these may be procured subsequently.

Balancing the Fleet

Although categorised as ‘tactical’, the MTA, like the C-130J, would also be in the strategic envelope. There is, therefore, a need to equip the tactical transport aircraft fleet with aircraft of lower payload capacity and range. These would be required for tasks such as insertion of troops into dropping zones as part of airborne assault operations, decoy missions, resupply operations and air maintenance of troops deployed in the forward locations of the North East and Ladakh sectors. For such tasks it would not be prudent to employ the C-17, the C-130J or the MTA, as these are in the 20-tonne or higher payload capacity.

The requirement, therefore, is for an aircraft with payload capacity ranging between five and ten tonnes, constituting the third segment of the transport fleet. Aircraft in this category, which are operational around the world, are the Alenia C-27J Spartan, the EADS CASA C-235 and the C-295 manufactured by Airbus Military in Spain. All these are twin-engine, high-wing turboprop military aircraft with proven credentials.

The fleet of 56 HS-748 Avro transport aircraft acquired in the 1960s has been long overdue for replacement. In response to a proposal by the IAF, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had cleared a project worth over Rs. 12,000 crore, to procure through global tender, 56 transport aircraft to replace the outdated Avro fleet. HAL being preoccupied with several mega-projects, this project had been opened to the Indian aerospace industry in the private sector. There were delays, as the MoD, under pressure from the erstwhile political regime, had asked for HAL to be included in the list of vendors. The present Government has thankfully resolved the issue. There has undoubtedly been considerable progress in the recent past in the effort at modernisation of the transport fleet, however, much more needs to be done and with speed. The IAF requires credible airlift capability not just for the purpose of projection of power, or during war, but also during peacetime, for the sustenance of troops stationed along the volatile borders and in hostile terrain.

Conclusion

India is once again emerging as a regional power, with legitimate aspirations to grow to the status of a superpower. In the process of realising its status, the Indian armed forces would be expected to project power through a show of force or by providing succour in times of natural calamities, both within the country and outside. A major responsibility of the IAF, therefore, is in the area of strategic airlift for combat and non-combat missions. Depending on the urgency of the situation, the IAF would need to airlift large contingents of the military or relief material, to areas of interest, as also to provide sustained logistic support. As a result, future missions of the IAF can be expected to be in the realm of strategic airlift. In addition to such commitments, deployment on short notice, of a large body of security forces—military, para-military and police—within the country or relief material during times of natural disasters or terrorist attacks, is also likely to increase in the years to come. Such tasks can be undertaken by the smaller aircraft, depending on the nature of requirement.

The IAF has exercised its options after careful thought. Rather than remain constrained by the traditional Russian source of military hardware, it has sought to acquire the cutting-edge aviation technologies from the global aerospace market within the limits of resources. With the acquisition of replacements for the tactical fleet in the pipeline and the process being accelerated by the Government of the day, the IAF transport fleet will be well equipped to meet with its operational commitments in the decades to come.