Lockheed Martin has offered to modernize the Indian Air Force's existing C-130J-30 fleet in its campaign for India's Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) competition, which calls for the acquisition of 60 new transport aircraft.
The proposal would bring India's 12 Super Hercules to the same Block 8.1.2 configuration offered for the new aircraft, according to Dan Tenney, Lockheed Martin's senior vice president for Global Business Development and Strategy, in comments reported by Press Trust of India.
India acquired its C-130J-30s through two orders for six aircraft each. One aircraft was lost in an accident in 2014, with a replacement subsequently ordered to restore the fleet to 12.
The upgrade offer gives Lockheed another argument in a competition that is increasingly centered on its C-130J-30 and Embraer's C-390 Millennium. India issued the request for proposals in August after several years of studies and an earlier request for information.
Existing C-130J industrial base
Lockheed also enters the competition with an established manufacturing footprint in India. Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited has produced C-130J empennages in Hyderabad since 2010 and is the global single source for these assemblies for newly built Super Hercules aircraft.
Lockheed and Tata announced in 2024 that they would establish additional C-130J production and assembly capability in India if selected for the MTA program. Final assembly in Marietta, Georgia, would continue for aircraft destined for other customers.
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The MTA requirement calls for the first 12 aircraft to be supplied directly by the selected manufacturer, while the remaining 48 would be produced in India with progressively greater local content.
Embraer has made its own industrial commitment with Mahindra Group. The companies recently selected Nagpur as the location for a C-390 final assembly line if the aircraft wins the competition.
Unlike Embraer, however, Lockheed can combine its local production proposal with India's existing operational and industrial relationship with the C-130J.
A400M fades from competition
The Airbus A400M was initially the third aircraft associated with the MTA program and Airbus responded to India's earlier request for information. Its position became increasingly uncertain after the requirement settled on aircraft in the 18- to 30-ton payload category.
With a maximum payload of approximately 37 tonnes, the A400M sits above that range and is substantially larger than either the C-130J or C-390. Indian reports have also cited its higher acquisition and operating costs as disadvantages for a requirement involving 60 aircraft.
More recent reports following the release of the RFP indicate that Airbus is no longer pursuing the competition, effectively leaving Lockheed Martin and Embraer as the two principal contenders.
The IAF plans to use the MTA to replace its Antonov An-32 transports. India formally received its first three An-32s in July 1984 and eventually acquired more than 100 of the Soviet-designed aircraft, which have served with the force for more than four decades. iafhistory.in
