New Delhi— India is preparing to procure up to 80 military transport aircraft as part of a major modernisation drive of the Indian Air Force, and US aerospace major Lockheed Martin has pitched its C-130J Super Hercules as the most suitable platform for the requirement. The company has said that an expanded Indian fleet of the aircraft would significantly strengthen India’s tactical airlift capability, particularly within the Quad framework.
Lockheed Martin officials said that if selected, the company is ready to establish a large manufacturing hub in India to produce the C-130J Super Hercules, marking the first global production facility for the aircraft outside the United States. The move, they said, would deepen defence industrial cooperation between India and the US while boosting India’s role in global aerospace manufacturing.
The Indian Air Force currently operates 12 C-130J aircraft, which are used for a range of missions including special operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The aircraft is also operated by the other Quad nations—the United States, Australia and Japan—giving it a shared operational footprint among the grouping.
Lockheed Martin said the C-130J offers multiple specialised configurations beyond standard transport roles, enabling intelligence gathering, electronic warfare, search and rescue, special forces support and command missions. The company highlighted that more than 560 aircraft from the C-130J family have been delivered worldwide, with over three million flight hours logged across 23 countries.
The push comes as the IAF looks to replace its ageing fleet of Soviet-origin AN-32 and IL-76 aircraft. In 2022, the force issued a Request for Information for medium transport aircraft, with the Defence Acquisition Council expected to consider the multi-billion-dollar procurement proposal in the coming weeks.
Apart from Lockheed Martin’s offering, Brazil’s Embraer KC-390 Millennium and Airbus Defence and Space’s A-400M are also contenders for the programme. Lockheed Martin has partnered with Tata Advanced Systems for its India bid and said the aircraft could be delivered faster than competing platforms due to its existing production capacity.
Company officials also pointed to ongoing upgrades to the C-130J, including the integration of advanced systems such as the Distributed Aperture System, aimed at improving situational awareness and survivability. They said continuous innovation, including the incorporation of artificial intelligence and enhanced connectivity, would ensure the aircraft remains relevant for decades.
Lockheed Martin said an expanded Indian C-130J fleet would enhance interoperability among Quad air forces and give India a stronger role in regional and global airlift operations. The company also underlined that its long-standing manufacturing partnership with Tata in India, including the production of C-130J empennages in Hyderabad, positions it well to support India’s ambitions under the medium transport aircraft programme.
