The Indian Air Force had said that it required 18 fuellers if the branch wanted to extend the range of its growing fleet.2 hours ago

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has been exploring options to procure six mid-air refuelers crucial to extending the range of its increasing fleet of fighter aircraft of Rafales, Su-30MKIs, Jaguars and indigenous Light Combat Aircraft.

Two bids released between 2006 and 2016 were won by Airbus Defence and Space, having presented its A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), but these were pulled back primarily due to high associated costs.

Lending further momentum to the ongoing self-reliance drive in the defence manufacturing sector, India on Friday approved several key proposals worth ₹84,560 crore to strengthen the military’s operational readiness, including the purchase of more mid-air refuelers, medium-range maritime reconnaissance and multi-mission aircraft.

“In the true spirit of ‘Atmanirbharta’, the approvals accorded today lay special emphasis on the procurement of various equipment from Indian vendors,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

The clearance for the purchase of six mid-air refuelers to extend the reach of the Indian Air Force’s fighter jets is by far the most notable development considering it comes against the backdrop of previous failed attempts to buy new tankers, officials aware of the matter said, asking not to be named.

The refuelers were cleared under the ‘Buy (Global)’ acquisition category which refers to the outright purchase of equipment from foreign or Indian vendors.

IAF operates a fleet of six Russian-origin Ilyushin-78 tankers that are plagued by maintenance problems and the force urgently needs at least six more refuelers.

Under India’s defence procurement rules, the council’s Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) is the first step towards buying military hardware. The Indian-IDDM category is the most important category of acquisition for indigenisation under the defence procurement policy.

(With Agency Inputs)