"Valued at nearly 1 trillion rupees"! Indian media: Indian Ministry of Defense plans to procure 60 medium transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force

[Global Network Report by Reporter Yan Peiyun] According to reports from the "Times of India" and other Indian media on the 13th, the Indian Ministry of Defense has released a tender document worth nearly 1 trillion rupees (approximately 70.7 billion yuan) to procure 60 medium transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force. The report states that this is one of the largest aviation procurement actions in India in recent years, aimed at replacing its An-32 transport aircraft fleet.

According to reports, the An-32 transport aircraft has a payload capacity of about 7 tons and has been in service with the Indian Air Force for approximately forty years, with over a hundred of this type of aircraft still in service. Two months ago, an An-32 transport aircraft crashed at an air force base in Jorhat, Assam, in northeastern India, resulting in the deaths of five crew members.

The report states that the new transport aircraft procured by the Indian Air Force will also undertake some of the tasks currently performed by the Il-76 transport aircraft fleet. The Il-76 transport aircraft has a payload capacity of about 45 tons.

According to the report, the main competitors participating in this bidding include: the A400M transport aircraft from European Airbus, which has a payload capacity of about 37 tons; the C390 transport aircraft from Embraer, which has a payload capacity of about 26 tons; and the C-130J transport aircraft from Lockheed Martin, which has a payload capacity of over 20 tons.