The IAF now operate seven Russian IL-76 M refuellers with Pakistan acquiring four of the same refuellers from Ukraine and China operating three of the same Russian refuellers along with 10 vintage modified versions of Russian bombers. According to officials at South Block , while the IAF wanted to get an Airbus 330 MRTT on wet lease from a British company, the French proposal involves selling six 5-7-year-old aircraft to the IAF with a certification of another 30 years of platform life at a much reduced price. The IAF has been eager to acquire an MRTT over the past decade, with the previous request for proposal (RFP) expiring without any results. According to a former Indian Air Force chief who didn’t want to be named, the Airbus 330 MRTT platform has much larger wings of the Airbus 340m as a result of which the aircraft can refuel two fighters mid-air at the same time through drogues (attached to wing pods) or a central refuelling boom system. The best part about the Airbus aircraft...
- Training at the Speed of Change - Awarded India's No. 1 Defence Career Academy 'Gold Trophy' by ASSOCHAM and ISO Certified more than a decade ago...