Aerospace Diary

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  JANUARY 11, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS India will become the fifth country to operate A330 multi-role tanker transports (MRTTs), following Australia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the UK. (Photo: Airbus Military) January 11, 2013, 10:25 AM The Indian Air Force ( IAF ) has selected the A330 multi-role tanker transport ( MRTT ) for its tanker procurement in preference to the Ilyushin Il- 78MK , after a second round of bidding. Commercial negotiations for six aircraft with an option for three more will start soon, and a contract that includes a 30-percent offset commitment is expected to be signed by June. Airbus Military  CEO  Domingo Urena-Raso said, “This has been a long and tough competition, and we are honored to have been selected.” The depot maintenance and life support costs of the A330 were a factor in the Airbus win, since the base price of the Il-78 was lower. Having suffered in t...

Neelam Mathews March 21, 2012 Having completed trials of the multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) in November last year in Leh, Ladakh (pix above), the bids of contenders Airbus Military A330 and Ilyushin IL-78MK, are presently going through price evaluations. The decision is expected to be made this year, Aerospace Diary learns. The Indian Air Force flight trials in Leh at an elevation of 10,682ft (3256m), one of the highest air bases in the world, for hot and high conditions refueled with the Jaguar, Su-30 and Mirage 2000. The Request for Proposals (RFP) for six tankers has been released twice over the past four years. The first time round, the bid was cancelled following the Finance Ministry's objection to high cost of the Airbus Military’s A-330-200 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft that was selected. This decision was deemed to be unfair by analysts as the prices were released for both parties to see. This time around, the only, but major change in the RFP has ...