The Indian Defense Ministry’s Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) on December 29 approved allocation of Rs 9,000 crore — about $1 billion — for the procurement of six Boeing 767 Multi Mission Tanker Transport (MMTT) aircraft for the Indian Air Force.
According to the Indian Defense News portal, the aircraft will be manufactured by the Israeli company Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) delivered in partnership with the Indian Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The project envisages the conversion of used Boeing 767 aircraft purchased on the civilian market into military platforms for aerial refueling and multi-purpose transport.
As per Indian Ministry of Defense guidelines, the program has to ensure a local industry share of at least 30 percent, with HAL leading the Indian companies’ participation. The conversion of the aircraft is carried out by IAI, which has proven experience in these types of modifications.
So far it has Boeing 767 MMTT There is only one operator in the world: the Colombian Air Force, which has operated a single example with the name Jupiter and the registration FAC-1202 since 2010. This aircraft was converted by IAI from a Boeing 767-200ER and serves as an operational reference for the type.
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The Indian program to procure new tanker aircraft has been running since 2006 and has included several tender processes over the years. In several cases, the Indian government selected the Airbus A330 MRTT, but the decision was repeatedly rejected due to the high procurement costs — estimated at at least $2 billion for six new aircraft.
The choice of the Boeing 767 MMTT, converted from used cells, therefore represents a more cost-effective alternative with greater industrial flexibility while meeting the Indian Air Force’s growing need for additional aerial refueling capability and strategic transport.
Source and images: Indian Defence News | Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). This content was created with the assistance of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
