The Indian Air Force (IAF) has leased a KC135 air refueler from US-based Metrea amid serviceability issues with its Russian-origin Ilyushin Il-78MKI tanker fleet.
The contract is a wet lease, meaning Metrea will provide not only the aircraft but also training and maintenance.
The aircraft will be stationed at Indian Air Force Station Agra in the country’s north, supporting training flights for both IAF and Indian Navy pilots. Delivery is expected within six months.
Additionally, the Indian government recently approved the lease of an Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft from the French Air Force for three years, according to Scramble.
The contract, also a wet lease, is set to be finalized in the next financial year starting April 1, 2025.
The lease will allow pilots to train on the A330, which the IAF previously selected in 2009 and 2013, though both procurement deals were later canceled due to high costs.
Capability Gap
Maintenance issues have kept the IAF’s fleet of six Il-78MKIs below 50 percent serviceability from 2010 to 2016, hindering the service’s ambition to expand its strategic reach.
The IAF’s serviceability benchmark for the refueler fleet, procured between 2003 and 2004, is 70 percent.
A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General highlighted several issues, including faulty refueling pods, inadequate repair facilities, and poor maintenance support from the manufacturer.
Following multiple unsuccessful attempts to augment the fleet, the IAF issued an acceptance of necessity in early 2024 for six mid-air refuellers.
Before that, a 2022 agreement between state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Israel Aerospace Industries aimed to convert commercial Boeing 767s into refueling platforms.
While Airbus and Boeing remain contenders for future tanker acquisitions, converted commercial aircraft are also being considered.
As an interim measure, a government-to-government agreement signed in November 2024 allows the Royal Australian Air Force’s KC-30A tanker to refuel Indian Armed Forces aircraft.
