IAF set to buy Rs 80 billion aerial tankers from Israeli firm

29 Oct 2025 CW Team

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is likely to finalise a Rs 80 billion deal for the purchase of six aerial refuelling aircraft from Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), a government-owned firm that has emerged as the sole qualifying bidder.

If awarded the contract, IAI will convert six pre-owned Boeing 767 commercial aircraft into mid-air refuelling tankers before supplying them to the IAF, according to defence sources.

The Israeli company has committed to ensuring around 30 per cent Made-in-India content through offset obligations under the agreement. The tender, which began several years ago, initially saw participation from Russian and European firms, but IAI remained the only contender meeting all requirements, including the clause mandating 3–30 per cent indigenous content for second-hand aircraft.

The IAF currently operates a fleet of six Russian-origin Il-78 tankers, based in Agra, which support refuelling operations for various fighter aircraft of the Air Force and Navy.

Over the past 15 years, the IAF has made multiple unsuccessful attempts to procure additional tankers due to procurement hurdles and budgetary constraints. Although it recently wet-leased a tanker aircraft, the force continues to face a shortfall as it transitions to newer fleets capable of extended missions through mid-air refuelling.

Infrastructure Transport

07 Apr 2026

Tunnelling Begins for Thane–Borivali twin tunnel project

Tunnelling work has commenced for the 11.84-km Thane–Borivali Twin Tunnel, set to be India’s longest urban road tunnel, marking a key milestone in Mumbai’s infrastructure development.As per a post shared by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority on social media platform X, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) ‘Nayak’—the country’s largest single-shield hard rock TBM for an urban tunnel—was launched by Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday. The event was attended by Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, among other dignitaries. A second TBM, ‘Arjuna’, is expected to be launched so..

Large Format Store Planned At M G Road Metro Station

M G Road station in Bengaluru is set to host the city’s first large-format commercial and experience space, with planning led by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited. BMRCL has invited proposals to develop and operate a central business district destination at the Purple?Pink Line interchange. The plan positions the station as a commercial hub designed to serve a broad commuter base across the city. The proposal is part of a broader effort to activate transit nodes commercially. Tender documents set a minimum monthly rental of Rs 0.944 million (mn), inclusive of GST, for the large-format..

Government Cancels Auction Of Eleven Critical Mineral Blocks

The government has cancelled the auction of 11 critical and strategic mineral blocks after receiving a poor investor response and failing to attract a sufficient number of qualified bidders. The decision represents a setback to plans to ramp up domestic exploration and production of critical minerals amid global supply chain disruptions and rising demand for materials used in clean energy and advanced technologies. The mines ministry issued an annulment notice setting out the reasons for the cancellations. The annulment notice indicated that the auction process for five mineral blocks was canc..