New Delhi: The Indian Air Force’s leased Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker mid-air refuller has finally landed in India, in what will be a much-needed relief to the force that has been left wanting in this critical element of modern warfighting.
Sources in the know told ThePrint that the aircraft landed at the IAF’s Agra base and will be utilised by the Indian Navy, too.
It is learned that this is a total wet lease, meaning that the aircraft will be flown, manned and maintained by the pilots and crew belonging to the lessor, American firm Metrea Management.
The KC-135 has been a critical element of the United States Air Force’s operational capabilities for over 60 years. It is equipped with a flying boom system for refuelling and can also be fitted with a multipoint refuelling system that allows refueling of two aircraft simultaneously
India’s refueller fleet currently comprises six Russian Ilushin-78 tankers, first inducted in 2003, which are facing huge maintenance and serviceability issues.
Sources had said that the availability ratio of the IL-78 was significantly low and that there was an issue in the force not being able to undertake long range missions or undertake more flying without having to land and refuel.
The IAF has been trying to acquire six mid-air refuellers since 2007 with no success due to multiple issues including bureaucratic delays and financing issues.
It was considering the A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) aircraft, a derivative of the twin-engine A330 passenger aircraft of Airbus, and the KC-46 tanker, a derivative of the Boeing 767 passenger jet.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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