인도, 중형수송기 60기 도입사업 RFP 발행

[위종민]

인도가 8월 12일 중형수송기 60기 도입사업 RFP를 발행했네요. 예산규모는 105억 달러 규모이고, 경쟁기종은 C-130J-30과 C-390입니다. 

초도물량을 제외한 나머지 수량은 인도에서 생산될 예정이며 소요규모는 80대에서 60대 + 옵션으로 바뀌었습니다. 

인도, 105억 달러 규모의 중형 수송기 60대 도입 경쟁 개시

클레망 샤르팡트로

2026년 8월 17일

국방

인도 라지코트에서 열린 에어쇼에서 비행 중인 인도 공군 안토노프 An-32 수송기. (사진: Rohit Amal / Shutterstock.com)

인도 국방부는 2026년 8월 12일 중형 수송기 60대 도입을 위한 제안요청서(RFP)를 발행했다. 이에 따라 약 1조 루피(105억 달러) 규모로 추산되는 사업이 공식적으로 시작됐으며, 록히드마틴의 C-130J와 엠브라에르의 C-390 밀레니엄이 경쟁하게 됐다.

입찰 요청서는 타타 어드밴스드 시스템스(Tata Advanced Systems), 마힌드라(Mahindra), 아다니 디펜스 앤드 에어로스페이스(Adani Defence and Aerospace), 힌두스탄 에어로노틱스(Hindustan Aeronautics Limited), 릴라이언스 디펜스(Reliance Defence) 등 인도 기업 5곳에 전달됐다. 각 기업은 해외 제조업체와 손잡고 입찰에 참여할 것으로 예상된다.

C-130J와 C-390, 첫 경쟁자로 부상

브라질 가비앙 페이쇼투에서 비포장 활주로 시험을 실시하는 엠브라에르 C-390 밀레니엄. (사진: Embraer Defense & Security)

현재까지 두 개의 협력 구도가 공개됐다. 타타 어드밴스드 시스템스는 2024년 9월 10일 록히드마틴과 C-130J-30 슈퍼 허큘리스를 제안하기 위한 협력협정을 체결했으며, 마힌드라는 2024년 2월 9일 뉴델리에서 양해각서를 체결한 이후 엠브라에르와 C-390을 놓고 협력해왔다. 나머지 세 업체는 아직 협력사를 공개하지 않았다.

인도 국방획득위원회는 2026년 3월 27일 이 사업에 필요성 승인(Acceptance of Necessity)을 부여하면서, 해당 항공기가 An-32와 Il-76 기단을 대체할 것이라고 설명했다. 요구조건은 18~30톤급 탑재능력을 대상으로 하며, C-130J-30은 약 19톤으로 요구 범위의 하단에, C-390은 26톤으로 상단에 위치한다. 에어버스는 앞서 A400M을 제안한 바 있지만, 약 37톤의 탑재능력을 가진 이 항공기는 명시된 상한선을 넘어선다.

관련 기사

인도 공군, An-32 추락사고로 사망한 장병 5명 명단 공개

대부분의 항공기는 인도에서 생산

노르웨이 왕립공군의 C-130J-30 슈퍼 허큘리스. (사진: Lockheed Martin)

초도 물량은 완성기 상태로 인도되며, 나머지는 인도에서 생산된다. 선정된 업체 조합은 인도 내 최종 조립라인과 정비능력을 구축해야 한다. 엠브라에르와 마힌드라는 2026년 2월 인도 내 C-390 정비시설 건설 계획을 발표하면서 이미 이러한 조건에 대비한 바 있다.

보도된 국산화 비율 수치는 서로 다르다. 일부 보도는 초기 최소 40%에서 단계적으로 비율을 높이는 방안을 언급하는 반면, 다른 보도는 목표가 60%를 넘는다고 전한다. 입찰 문서는 공개되지 않았다.

소요 규모, 80대에서 60대로 축소

당초 정보요청서(RFI)는 최대 80대를 대상으로 했으며, 록히드마틴도 타타와의 협력 발표 당시 이 수치를 언급했다. 그러나 이번 RFP는 60대를 대상으로 하며, 추가 기체 도입 옵션이 포함돼 있다.

입찰안은 기술평가를 거친 뒤 야전시험으로 넘어간다. 이번 요구조건에서는 라다크와 인도 북동부의 전방착륙장(Advanced Landing Grounds)을 포함해 고지대 및 반정비 활주로에서 시험이 실시될 예정이다.

인도는 과거에도 군용 수송기를 국내에서 조립한 경험이 있지만, 그보다 작은 기체였다. 타타 어드밴스드 시스템스와 에어버스는 2024년 10월 바도다라에 C-295 최종 조립라인을 개설했으며, 주문된 56대 가운데 40대를 이곳에서 생산한다.

이번 MTA 사업은 그 모델을 약 세 배 더 무거운 항공기에 적용하게 된다.

India launches $10.5B military transport aircraft contest

India launches $10.5B military transport aircraft contest

India opens $10.5B contest for 60 medium transport aircraft

ByClement Charpentreau

August 17, 2026

Defense

An Indian Air Force Antonov An-32 transport aircraft performs at an air show in Rajkot, India. (Credit: Rohit Amal / Shutterstock.com)

The Indian Ministry of Defence issued a request for proposals on August 12, 2026, for 60 medium transport aircraft, formally opening a competition estimated at roughly 1 trillion rupees ($10.5 billion) and setting up a contest between Lockheed Martin’s C-130J and Embraer’s C-390 Millennium. 

The tender went to five Indian companies: Tata Advanced Systems, Mahindra, Adani Defence and Aerospace, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Reliance Defence. Each is expected to bring a foreign manufacturer into its bid.  

C-130J and C-390 emerge as first contenders 

An Embraer C-390 Millennium conducts unpaved-runway testing at Gavião Peixoto, Brazil. (Credit: Embraer Defense & Security)

Two pairings are already public. Tata Advanced Systems signed a teaming agreement with Lockheed Martin on September 10, 2024, to offer the C-130J-30 Super Hercules, while Mahindra has worked with Embraer on the C-390 since a memorandum of understanding signed in New Delhi on February 9, 2024. The other three have not identified partners. 

India’s Defence Acquisition Council granted Acceptance of Necessity for the program on March 27, 2026, describing the aircraft as a replacement for the An-32 and Il-76 fleets. The requirement covers a payload class of 18 to 30 tons, which places the C-130J-30 near the bottom of the band at about 19 tons and the C-390 near the top at 26 tons. Airbus had previously offered the A400M, though at roughly 37 tons the aircraft sits above the stated ceiling. 

RELATEDIndian Air Force releases names of five personnel killed in An-32 crash tragedy

Most aircraft to be built in India 

A Royal Norwegian Air Force C-130J-30 Super Hercules. (Credit: Lockheed Martin)

An initial tranche will arrive in flyaway condition, with the remainder built in India. The winning pair will be required to stand up a final assembly line and maintenance capability in the country, a condition Embraer and Mahindra anticipated in February 2026 when they announced plans for an Indian C-390 maintenance facility. Reported indigenous content figures diverge, with some accounts citing a 40% floor rising in phases and others putting the target above 60%. The tender document has not been published. 

Requirement reduced from 80 aircraft to 60 

The original request for information covered up to 80 aircraft, the figure Lockheed Martin cited when it announced its Tata agreement. The RFP covers 60, with an option for further aircraft. 

Bids will pass through technical eval‎uation and then field trials, which for this requirement means high-altitude and semi-prepared strips including the Advanced Landing Grounds in Ladakh and the northeast.  

India has assembled military transports domestically before, though on a smaller airframe. Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus opened a C-295 final assembly line at Vadodara in October 2024, covering 40 of the 56 aircraft ordered. The MTA program would apply that model to an aircraft roughly three times heavier. 

[ssn688]

KC-390이 수주 국가는 많지만 워낙 소량이라... 이제 수주량이 60대 넘었을 것 같습니다만, 인도 시장이 건곤일척으로 보이겠네요. (먼 산)

[위종민]

말 그대로 터닝포인트가 될 것 같은데, 인도가 얼마나 뽑아먹을 지 모르겠네요 ㅋㅋ