India wants 60 new military transport aircraft, and it wants most of them made in India. Lockheed Martin has now said exactly how it would do that: build a dozen C-130J Super Hercules in Georgia, and the other 48 in India with Tata.
The offer, set out by Lockheed executives in interviews published over the weekend, is the company’s pitch for the Indian Air Force‘s Medium Transport Aircraft programme. The contract is reported to be worth around $10.5 billion, and the main rival is Embraer’s C-390 Millennium, backed by Mahindra.
Quick information
- Plan: Indian Air Force Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA)
- Requirement: 60 aircraft, 18 to 30 tonnes payload, at least 40% indigenous content
- Reported value: About $10.5 billion
- Lockheed offer: C-130J-30; 12 built in Marietta, Georgia, 48 built in India with Tata Advanced Systems
- Main rival: Embraer C-390 Millennium, with Mahindra
- Chronology: Tender issued 12 August; bids due 2 December, according to ThePrint
The offer
Lockheed is proposing the stretched C-130J-30 in its latest Block 8.1.2 configuration. Twelve aircraft would come off the line in Marietta, Georgia, in flyaway condition, and the remaining 48 would be built in India by Tata Advanced Systems Limited, Lockheed’s long-standing partner. According to the Press Trust of India, Lockheed has also proposed upgrading the IAF’s existing C-130Js to the same standard.
Dan Tenney, Lockheed Martin’s senior vice president for global business development and strategy, told PTI that winning the contract would mean a much bigger industrial footprint in India.
Dan Tenney — Senior Vice President, Global Business Development and Strategy, Lockheed Martin, speaking to PTI
“That capability” already exists. Tata and Lockheed have been building C-130J tail assemblies and other components in Hyderabad for years, and the two companies have been preparing a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility for the type in India. Moving from tails to complete aircraft is the step India’s Make in India policy is designed to force.
A familiar aircraft
The IAF knows the Hercules well. Its first C-130J-30 was delivered in December 2010, and the fleet has since flown special forces, disaster relief and evacuation missions across the region. In 2013, an IAF C-130J landed at Daulat Beg Oldi in Ladakh, one of the highest airstrips in the world at around 16,600 feet, near the Chinese border.
Speaking to ThePrint, Robert Toth, Lockheed’s vice president for air mobility and maritime missions strategy and a former US Air Force C-130J pilot, argued that many of the criticisms aimed at the aircraft really belong to older versions. In his words, many of the characteristics people attribute to the C-130J “are actually of the C-130H or the original version.” Lockheed says the IAF fleet has logged around 58,000 flight hours.
The Embraer problem
The C-390 is the obvious threat. It is a twin-jet transport with a payload of around 26 tonnes, noticeably more than the Hercules, and it flies faster. Embraer and Mahindra have already earmarked Nagpur for a possible C-390 assembly line, and the Brazilian jet has been piling up European orders. Airbus, according to ThePrint, has withdrawn from the competition.
Lockheed’s counter is maturity and scale: more than 500 C-130Js delivered worldwide, an Indian fleet already trained on the type, and an Indian partner that already makes part of every C-130J. Whether that beats a newer, faster jet will be one of the biggest defence decisions New Delhi makes this decade.
The Indian Air Force’s own footage of the C-130J’s 2013 landing at Daulat Beg Oldi, one of the world’s highest airstrips.
Sources: Press Trust of India via ETV Bharat, ThePrint, Lockheed Martin, Times of India, Indian Air Force
Frequently asked questions
What is India’s Medium Transport Aircraft programme?
The Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) programme is an Indian Air Force plan to buy 60 military transport aircraft with a payload of 18 to 30 tonnes and at least 40 per cent indigenous content. The deal is reported to be worth about $10.5 billion, and bids are due on 2 December 2026.
What has Lockheed Martin offered India?
Lockheed Martin has offered the C-130J-30 Super Hercules in its Block 8.1.2 configuration. Twelve aircraft would be built in Marietta, Georgia, and the other 48 in India by Tata Advanced Systems Limited. Lockheed has also proposed upgrading the Indian Air Force’s existing C-130Js.
Who is competing with the C-130J in India?
The main rival is the Embraer C-390 Millennium, offered with Indian partner Mahindra, which has earmarked Nagpur for a possible assembly line. According to ThePrint, Airbus has withdrawn from the competition.
How many C-130J aircraft does the Indian Air Force operate?
The Indian Air Force operates a fleet of around a dozen C-130J-30 Super Hercules. The first was delivered in December 2010, and Lockheed Martin says the fleet has flown around 58,000 hours, including special operations, disaster relief and high-altitude missions in Ladakh.
Does Tata already build parts of the C-130J?
Yes. Tata Advanced Systems Limited has built C-130J tail assemblies and other components in Hyderabad for years in partnership with Lockheed Martin, and the two companies have been setting up a C-130J maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in India.
What is the difference between the C-130J and the C-390?
The C-130J Super Hercules is a four-engine turboprop transport with decades of service history and more than 500 delivered. The Embraer C-390 Millennium is a newer twin-jet transport that is faster and carries a heavier payload of around 26 tonnes.
Source: migflug.com
