New Delhi

With sights firmly set on the Indian Air Force's requirement for 40-80 Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA), Tata-Lockheed Martin is expanding their existing collaboration in India. The Indo-American venture has entered into an agreement to establish a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in India to support the Indian Air Force's (IAF) existing C130J fleet comprising 12 aircraft, as well as other global Super Hercules fleets. The C-130 is a versatile tactical airlifter that has been in operation for more than 70 years, fulfilling the roles of transportation of troops, supplies, equipment, and special operations, under challenging scenarios. 

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Presently, all C130Js are built at the Super Hercules production facility in Marietta, Georgia, USA. Since 2010, the Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Ltd., (TLMAL) joint venture in Hyderabad, Southern India, has been building the tail structures of the C-130Js and is the only global source for this component. To date, TLMAL has manufactured more than 220 C-130J empennages. Further, Tata and Lockheed are looking to carry out manufacturing and assembly of C130Js in India, to produce aircraft for the IAF's Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) program, subject to approvals from the US and Indian governments. Lockheed Martin will establish additional production and assembly capacity in India if awarded the MTA contract, the firm said.

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"Collaborating with Lockheed Martin on the C-130J platform proposition for IAF's MTA project is a milestone for Tata Advanced Systems," said Sukaran Singh, CEO & MD of Tata Advanced Systems. "The current announcement is also significant as it marks the entry of Tata Advanced Systems into the defence MRO space in India for large aircraft platforms," he added. 

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Since 2011, the Indian Air Force has been operating the C-130J aircraft, and has carried out landings at the world's highest airfield, Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO), in Ladakh's Depsang Valley, daring night operations in inclement weather. The global C-130J fleet spans 27 operators in 23 nations. These aircraft are used for search and rescue, peacekeeping, combat delivery, maritime patrol, special operations, aerial refueling, commercial cargo transport, medevac and humanitarian response missions. 

Indian Air Force's Requirement for Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA)

According to the Indian Air Force's Request for Information (RFI), they are looking at an aircraft with 18-27 tons load carrying capacity. The three potential contenders in this contest are the Lockheed Martin C-130J, Embraer C-390 and Airbus A400M. However, each of these aircraft offers different lift capabilities. While the C-130J and A400M are powered by turboprop engines, the C-390 uses jet engines.

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In 2023, the IAF began inducting the Airbus C-295MW planes, gradually replacing its fleet of HS-748 Avro aircraft. IAF had placed orders for 56 planes from Airbus, of which, the first 16 are to be fully made abroad. Whereas, the remaining 40 would be made by Airbus and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), in Gujarat. While it is common for a force to maintain more aircraft of a similar make, the C-295, with its lifting capacity of 9 tonnes does not qualify for the Medium Transport Aircraft requirement.

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Notably, in recent decades, India has been purchasing a significant number of American Aviation platforms, including Lockheed Martin C-130J planes and MH-60R helicopters, Boeing's C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlifter, Apache attack helicopters, Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, and Poseidon-8I long-range maritime surveillance planes. However, India has never purchased American fighter jets. India's fighter fleet comprises Russian-origin and European-origin jets.