IAF Chief Gets First-Hand Look At A400M During France Visit, Meets Military Counterparts

Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh has concluded a three-day official visit to France, holding high-level military discussions and engaging with leading defence manufacturers as India moves closer to selecting a new military transport aircraft under its Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) programme.

A key highlight of the visit was the Air Chief’s familiarisation flight aboard the Airbus A400M military transport aircraft from Orléans Air Base. The A400M is one of the leading contenders in the Indian Air Force’s upcoming MTA procurement programme.

The IAF is expected to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) later this year for the acquisition of a new generation of transport aircraft to replace its ageing fleet of Soviet-origin An-32 aircraft.

Under the proposed programme, the Air Force is expected to procure between 40 and 80 aircraft. Industry observers view the Airbus A400M, the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules and the Embraer KC-390 Millennium as the principal contenders for the contract.

During the visit, Air Chief Marshal Singh held bilateral talks with Jérôme Bellanger, the Chief of French Air and Space at the headquarters in Balard, where he was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour.

The IAF chief also met the French Chief of Military Staff Vincent Giraud and interacted with officers and Indian cadets undergoing training at the École de Guerre in Paris.

As part of efforts to deepen defence-industrial cooperation, Singh held discussions with executives from major French defence firms, including Dassault Aviation, Thales, Safran and MBDA.

The meetings focused on strengthening defence cooperation and exploring opportunities aligned with India’s Make in India initiative and ongoing military modernisation programmes.

The visit also included a stop at the Mont-de-Marsan Air Combat Centre, one of France’s premier military aviation facilities.

The Air Force said the visit reinforced the long-standing strategic partnership between India and France and highlighted growing cooperation in operational, training and defence-industrial domains at a time when New Delhi is evaluating several major military acquisition programmes.