Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd is among several defence companies that have been asked to submit proposals for the manufacture of transport aircraft
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India has issued a global tender to domestically manufacture at least 60 multirole transport aircraft for the air force at an estimated cost of $10 billion, officials familiar with the matter said, asking not to be named citing rules.Multiple Indian defence companies, including Bengaluru-based, state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., have been asked to submit proposals, one of the people said.The aircraft will be produced in partnership with foreign manufacturers that will provide technology and know-how. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence did not respond to an email, sent after-hours, seeking comment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is pushing to make India a defence-manufacturing hub and has modified its policies to encourage foreign manufacturers to partner with Indian companies to produce military hardware locally. India has also banned the import of several defence systems to boost domestic manufacturing.The new aircraft will replace the aging Soviet-era Antonov An-32s and the larger Ilyushin Il-76s, and may also be used as aerial refuelers. India operates multiple transport aircraft with varying payload capacities to meet its requirements and is in the process of streamlining the fleet to ensure commonality and ease of training and maintenance.More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com©2026 Bloomberg L.P.Published on August 13, 2026
