IAF now owns US strategic transport aircraft

Even as the country prepares to sign the world’s single largest defence deal during Russian president DA Medvedev’s annual summit visit to India next week, an Indian Air Force (IAF) crew received in the US the first medium-lift American transport aircraft C-130J Super Hercules on Friday.

Six of these strategic transport aircraft were ordered by India, under a $1.2 billion contract signed in 2008 as part of the foreign military sale (FMS). The aircraft will arrive in India in February 2011 to be unveiled at Bangalore’s biennial air show Aero-India.

Justifying the costing of these aircraft, vis-à-vis Canada, in parliament earlier this month, defence minister AK Antony had said the $962 million spent for the purchase include the cost of training, role and support equipment, spares, warranty and the US government’s administrative charges.

Moreover, he said, in the absence of official information regarding the cost of the Canadian procurement, it was not possible to make appropriate comparative cost analysis.

The minister said that in accordance with the defence procurement procedure (DPP), the letter of request (LOR) stipulated an offset obligation of not less than 30% of the estimated amount and the original equipment manufacturer had undertaken to fulfil the stipulated offset obligation.

Since India is operating these aircraft for the first time, the package provided by the US government is comprehensive, comprising training of aircrew and maintenance technicians, spares, ground support and test equipment, servicing carts, forklifts, loading vehicles, cargo pallets and a team of technical specialists who will be based in India during a three year initial support period. Also included in the package is India-unique operational equipment designed to increase special operations capabilities.

These medium-lift transport aircraft will be initially based at Hindon air force station near Delhi, but will subsequently move to the eastern theatre and even advanced landing grounds in the east and north-east, where short takeoff runways, required for the Super Hercules, are available.

A deal for 300 fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) worth 30 billion dollars is likely to be struck with Russia during Medvedev’s India visit shortly.

The Indo-Russian deal for the FGFA would make India the largest operator of the super advanced aircraft in the world by 2022. The deal was ironed out in October by the inter-governmental commission on military technical cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) representatives, in Delhi.