The IAF currently has six Russian IL-78 air-to-air tankers and has been seeking six new aircraft for some time, but the deal has been repeatedly delayed.
The IAF currently has six Russian IL-78 air-to-air tankers and has been seeking six new aircraft for some time, but the deal has been repeatedly delayed.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will convert six civilian Boeing-767 jets into in-flight refueling tankers for the Indian Air Force (IAF), for which it entered into an agreement with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in April. The IAF has been looking for new air tankers for some time.
“Six Boeing-767s will be converted from civil to military certification. HAL will launch a global tender to purchase second-hand B-767s from the market,” an official source said. The overall process is expected to take at least three to four years, the official said.
In addition, HAL is also considering converting Air India’s Boeing-747s for a dedicated cargo role. The planes are available with Air India and were recently retired from the civilian roster after 20 years. The feasibility of this is being verified, the official said.
IAI has the prior expertise to undertake such a conversion and HAL had also worked closely with IAI previously, so this project can be undertaken and will meet a critical IAF requirement, another official said.
The IAF currently has six Russian IL-78 air-to-air tankers and has been seeking six new aircraft for some time, but the deal has been repeatedly delayed. He was looking to relaunch the tender, but the financial crisis had forced the IAF to rethink the acquisition. To meet requirements in the interim, the IAF is considering leasing air-to-air tankers, an option introduced in the 2020 defense procurement process.
Aerial refueling greatly improves the range and payload of fighter aircraft. It also allows the aircraft to stay aloft well beyond its normal limits, allowing for better exploitation of the platform’s capabilities.
As reported by The Hindu earlier, IAF officials had stated that wet lease of rigs could be used in peacetime and bare lease for operational needs. Under a wet lease, rigs must be serviced by the company supplying them, whether that is the original equipment manufacturer or the aggregator.
