India desperately needs more transport aircraft
India needs additional transport aircraft, and the largest type available at present is the A400M Atlas. (Photo: Airbus)
How can the Indian Air Force fill major gaps in its airlift fleet, since few new transport aircraft types are available?
The absence of a medium transport aircraft, and its continued use on ageing Ilyushin Il-76s without spares, means that the Indian Air Force (IAF) is struggling to fill airlift capability gaps.
Furthermore, India’s 11 Boeing C-17 Globemaster IIIs are being severely flogged, having to fill multiple roles to a large extent, including disaster management.
Speaking to Shephard, one IAF pilot bemoaned: ‘We should have bought more C-17s’. However, Boeing no longer produces the aircraft.
A decision has been pending for more than six years to replace the Il-76 airlifters too, but replacing their current D-30KP turbofan engines with PS-90A-76 bypass engines could
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