Embraer, Lockheed Martin and Airbus are all expected to compete for the Medium Transport Aircraft tender.
India has formally launched an effort to procure a new military transport, which could see New Delhi buy at least 60 aircraft.
The Indian Ministry of Defence released a request for proposal on 12 August for the Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA), with a projected contract value of roughly INR1 trillion ($10 billion). The tender is meant to replace the Indian Air Force’s ageing fleet of 100 Antonov An-32s and 17 Ilyushin Il-76s.
Embraer’s C-390 Millennium and Lockheed Martin’s C-130J Hercules are expected to be the primary contenders, with both companies having touted their aircraft’s attributes and their respective offers for local production in recent months.
Airbus is also seen as a third contender for the MTA opportunity with its A400M Atlas.
However, unconfirmed reports in the Indian media are casting doubt on the viability of the European airframer’s bid.
Local outlets report that requirements in the MTA tender, which has not been released publicly, call for an aircraft with a payload in the range of 18-30t. The A400M boasts a 37t payload, potentially placing it outside the scope of the MTA.
Airbus Defence and Space did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.
Both the Lockheed and Embraer transports fall within the specified size range, with the C-130J offering a 19t payload, while the jet-powered C-390 can carry 26t.
In addition to aircraft performance, economic impact will be a key factor in selecting an MTA winner, with New Delhi requiring a substantial portion of the total aircraft order to be assembled locally.
As with other Indian defence programmes, an initial tranche of aircraft will be manufactured by the OEM, while the bulk of the order will subsequently be assembled in India by a local partner. India’s defence acquisition guidelines also generally require at least 50% locally sourced content for major purchases, although that figure can be higher.
Airbus and Indian conglomerate Tata are teamed on a contract to deliver 56 C295 transports to the Indian Air Force. Sixteen of those were assembled by Airbus in Seville, Spain, and have already been delivered. The remaining 40 are being produced by Tata in Gujarat.
The first Tata-built C295 completed its maiden flight in June from the plant in Vadodara.
That active partnership could be an asset in Airbus’ favour for the MTA competition.
Lockheed Martin similarly has an existing industrial partnership with Tata.
The Indian manufacturer produces empennage assemblies for the C-130J in Hyderabad under contract from Lockheed. That plant provides tail sections for all new-build Hercules transports globally, with final assembly housed at a US facility in Marietta, Georgia.
In May, Lockheed and Tata marked the 260th C-130J empennage delivery from the Hyderabad site.
The Indian air force already operates 12 C-130Js, alongside the C295, Boeing C-17 and Ilyushin Il-78 tanker.
Embraer has established its own MTA partnership with Indian manufacturer Mahindra to locally produce the C-390 in the subcontinent and stand up a local maintenance, repair and overhaul facility for a future C-390 fleet.
The twinjet is currently assembled at Embraer’s defence production complex in Gaviao Peixoto, Sao Paulo state
The post India formally launches competition for new military transport first appeared on FlightGlobal.