Indian IL-76 Aircraft With The Israel AEW Systems Will Be Upgraded
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The Indian Air Force is likely to issue a request for proposal (RFP) to upgrade its large transport fleet of Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft with new avionics, engines besides other changes.
The upgrade plans also include the Phalcon AWACS fleet of three which is based on the Il-76 platform.These three carry the Israel aerospace industries (IAI) Airborne Early Warning (AEW) systems.
Recently India decided to purchase more Israeli AEW systems.
It is not yet known if the RFP will be for Indian vendors only or foreign vendors will also be invited. It has been a trend of late with the Indian MoD to invite local companies only for electronics and avionics installation and upgrade projects. It recently issued an Indian companies-only RFI for installation of electronic warfare suits on board its fleet of Mi-17 V5 helicopters.
The IAF currently has the third largest fleet of operational Il-76s in the world. It has been a real workhorse for the service even though the latest entrants to the fleet like the US-made C-130Js and C-17s steal the show. The total number of Il-76 in IAF service is 17.
The Il-78s transporter-tankers operated by the service will also go in for re-engining and a separate RfP will be issued for that.
Known as the ‘Gajraj’ in the air force, the IL-76 was first ordered in 1983 and has been India’s main heavy lift aircraft before the arrival of the Boeing C-17 aircraft in 2013. The upgrade, sources said, includes new engines for the aircraft that will substantially increase its service life by up to 15 more years.
