Indian Military Transport and Maritime Patrol Aircraft

UPSC set a pairs question on three aircraft. It looks like a plain matching task. It really tests one word, which is “supersonic”.

What was the question?

This was UPSC Civil Services Prelims 2025, General Studies Paper I, Series A, Question 84. The paper printed it exactly as below.

With reference to India’s defence, consider the following pairs :
Aircraft type : Description
I. Dornier-228 : Maritime patrol aircraft
II. IL-76 : Supersonic combat aircraft
III. C-17 Globemaster III : Military transport aircraft
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All the three
(d) None

What is the answer?

The official answer key for Series A gives B, Only two. The key lists zero dropped questions for this paper.

Why are only two pairs correct?

• Pair I is correct. The Coast Guard describes the Dornier 228 as a multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft.
• Pair III is correct. At its 2013 induction, the Defence Minister said India had needed a capable strategic airlift platform.
• Pair II is wrong. The IL-76 is a military transport with four turbofan engines. It is not a combat aircraft.

The Dornier-228 is the small aircraft behind India’s coastal patrols. The Coast Guard calls it lightweight and fuel efficient, with a wide range of operating speeds.

What does the Coast Guard say about it?

The Indian Coast Guard calls it a twin engine turboprop, highly versatile multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft. HAL manufactures it for the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard flies two variants, the 228-100 and the 228-200 series.

What jobs can it do?

The Coast Guard says it can change roles quickly. Its listed roles are:

• maritime patrol and surveillance
• marine pollution contingency
• search and rescue
• medical evacuation

What changed in 2026?

• 19 January 2026: HAL handed over two new Dornier 228 aircraft to the Coast Guard at Kanpur. A report says they have a glass cockpit in place of analogue instruments.
• 12 February 2026: The Ministry of Defence signed a contract with HAL’s Transport Aircraft Division, Kanpur. It covers eight Dornier 228 aircraft for the Coast Guard at a cost of Rs 2,312 crore, under the Buy (Indian) category.
• 12 February 2026: The Defence Acquisition Council also cleared an Electro-Optical/Infra-Red system for Dornier aircraft of the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard is not the only user. This matters because an exam stem may say “Dornier” without naming a force.

How does the Navy use it?

INAS 310, called The Cobras, is a maritime reconnaissance squadron of the Navy. It is based at Goa. PIB says it flew the carrier-borne Alize until 1991. It then moved to the shore-based Dornier-228.

The Navy is also upgrading its Dorniers.

• On 15 March 2024, the Ministry of Defence signed a contract with HAL for a Mid Life Upgrade of 25 Dornier aircraft.
• The cost is Rs 2,890 crore. The work is to run for 6.5 years.
• The primary roles are maritime surveillance, coastal surveillance, electronic intelligence and maritime domain awareness.
• The secondary roles are search and rescue, medical evacuation and communication link.

How does the Air Force use it?

On 10 March 2023, the Ministry of Defence signed a Rs 667 crore contract for six Dornier-228 aircraft for the Air Force. PIB says the IAF used the type for route transport and communication duties. It has also been used to train transport pilots.

PIB calls the aircraft well suited to short haul operations from semi-prepared or short runways. It names the North East and the island chains.

What should you not write?

Do not say the Army flies the Dornier-228. No release opened for this lesson names the Army as a user. Name the Coast Guard, the Navy and the Air Force instead.

The IL-76 is a transport aircraft that India has flown since 1985. Treat it as a cargo carrier, not a fighter.

What kind of aircraft is it?

• It is a military transport aircraft. Airforce Technology gives its NATO codename as ‘Candid’.
• It has four D-30KP turbofan engines.

The same page says the IAF ordered three IL-76MD aircraft fitted with the Phalcon airborne early warning system. So one airframe type also serves as a radar platform.

Who flies it in the IAF?

No. 44 Squadron flies the IL-76. PIB placed the squadron at Chandigarh in April 2023.

• The squadron was raised on 6 April 1961 with the AN-12.
• It flew the AN-12 until 1985.
• The IL-76 reached India in March 1985.
• It was formally inducted into the IAF on 16 June 1985.
• In 1985 the squadron was renamed ‘Mighty Jets’.

PIB calls 44 Squadron the harbinger of strategic airlift in the IAF. It also says the IL-76 “continues to in service today”. That was the position in April 2023.

Why is it a trap in exams?

The word “jets” can mislead you. The IL-76 has jet engines, but it carries cargo. It does not fight other aircraft.

The C-17 is India’s heavy strategic airlifter. Strategic airlift means moving big loads over long distances.

How did India get it?

• June 2011: The government approved the purchase of 10 C-17 aircraft with associated equipment.
• 18 June 2013: The initial aircraft touched down in India.
• 2 September 2013: Defence Minister A K Antony formally inducted the type at Hindan air base.
• The purchase went through the US Foreign Military Sales programme.

Which squadron flies it?

No. 81 Squadron, called ‘SKYLORDS’, flies the C-17. PIB says it is based in Hindan. Janes spells the base Hindon.

How much can it carry?

• On 28 July 2014, PIB gave the payload as about 75 tonnes.
• It gave the strategic reach as about 4,500 km.
• Antony said the induction would boost the IAF’s capability for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.

How many does the IAF have?

Janes reported that Boeing delivered the 11th C-17 to the IAF at Hindon on 26 August 2019. It said the aircraft joined 10 others flown by 81 Squadron. So the figure of 11 is a 2019 snapshot, per Janes.

Between the small Dornier and the big C-17 sit the medium transports. Their makers and their squadrons are easy marks.

What is the C-295 deal?

• September 2021: The Ministry of Defence signed a Rs 21,935 crore contract with Airbus Defence and Space of Spain.
• The contract covers 56 aircraft. Sixteen come ready-built from Spain. Forty are built in India by Tata Advanced Systems Limited, or TASL.
• PIB says the C-295 has a payload of 9.5 tonnes. It replaces the HS 748 Avro.
• By 28 October 2024, six of the 16 had joined No. 11 Squadron at Vadodara. The last was due by August 2025.

Why does the Vadodara plant matter?

• PM Narendra Modi and Spain’s PM Pedro Sanchez inaugurated the TATA Aircraft Complex on 28 October 2024.
• PIB called it a private sector Final Assembly Line for military aircraft. The Raksha Mantri said a private company will build a complete military aircraft in India.
• Of 14,000 detailed parts in one aircraft, 13,000 are to be made in India from raw material.
• PIB expected the initial Made-in-India C-295 by September 2026. It expected the rest by August 2031.

What about the C-130J?

Lockheed Martin says the IAF operates a fleet of 12 C-130J aircraft. It describes them as tactical airlift aircraft. A joint venture in Hyderabad, TLMAL, has made C-130J tail assemblies since 2010. These parts go on every new C-130J.

The IAF has started the search for a Medium Transport Aircraft, or MTA. The plan is recent. Read it with dates.

What did the Defence Acquisition Council clear?

On 27 March 2026, the Council gave Acceptance of Necessity for the MTA. PIB says the induction would replace the transport fleet of AN32 and IL76. It would meet strategic, tactical and operational airlift needs.

What does the tender ask for?

As of 17 August 2026, per Aviation International News, the position is as follows.

• The Ministry of Defence issued a request for proposal on 12 August.
• It asks for 60 airframes, with an option for more.
• The report puts the deal at around $10 billion.
• The payload must be around 18 to 30 tons.
• The selected maker builds the initial aircraft. Later units need at least 40 percent indigenous content, rising to 60 percent.
• Bidders must plan an in-country final assembly line.

Who is in the race?

The report expects Lockheed Martin and Embraer to be frontrunners. Only the C-390 is described as vying for the order. It gives the C-390 a payload of 26 tons. It names no winner.

Why will the IAF still need a heavy lifter?

The tender asks for 18 to 30 tons. The C-17 carries about 75 tonnes, per PIB’s 2014 figure. So the MTA does not replace the C-17’s heavy-lift job.

The Dornier watches the coast. For deep ocean patrols the Navy uses bigger aircraft.

What is the P-8I?

• It is the Navy’s Boeing P-8I, a long range maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
• The Navy acquired its initial batch of eight in 2013. They are stationed at INS Rajali, Arakkonam.
• Four more form a second batch for INAS 316 at INS Hansa, Goa.
• Two of them arrived at INS Hansa on 30 December 2021.

What happened in 2026?

On 12 February 2026, the Defence Acquisition Council cleared the P8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft for the Navy. PIB says it will boost long-range anti-submarine warfare, maritime surveillance and maritime strike capability. The release gives no number and no price.

What did the Navy retire?

The Navy bid farewell to the Ilyushin-38 Sea Dragon on 31 October 2023 at INS Hansa. PIB says it served for 46 years. INAS 315 was commissioned on 1 October 1977 with the IL-38.

UPSC changed the label on one aircraft and kept two labels true. You win by knowing each aircraft’s job.

Which facts should you hold?

What are the common traps?

• A transport aircraft is not a combat aircraft. Watch for “supersonic” and “fighter”.
• The Dornier-228 is not a Coast Guard exclusive.
• HAL builds the Dornier. Boeing builds the C-17. Airbus makes the C-295 and TASL assembles it in India.
• Dates need care. The IL-76 dates from 1985 and the C-17 from 2013.

What does the plan add?

• Rs 2,312 crore is the February 2026 Dornier contract for eight Coast Guard aircraft.
• 60 airframes is the MTA tender size.
• The MTA is meant to replace the An-32 and IL-76 fleets.