Space exploration will remain a priority for India and the country will launch its own satellite-based navigation system into orbit in the next couple of years, according to a senior Indian military official. Further, he said, the Indian air force will forge ahead with its acquisition of C-17 and C-130J transports as it modernizes its airlift capability. This officer, speaking on background in Washington, offered scant details on India’s plans to acquire a new multirole combat aircraft. He said only that his country seeks a fighter fleet that offers more precision-attack capability. The US and India are working on a foreign military sales deal to furnish the IAF with at least 10 and perhaps as many as 16 C-17s. India has already ordered C-130Js, with deliveries expected to begin next year. Lockheed Martin F-16s and Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets are MRCA contenders.
The Pentagon plans to use U.S. Air Force C-17s and C-130s to deport 5,400 people currently detained by Customs and Border Protection, officials announced Jan. 22, the first act in President Donald Trump’s sweeping promise to crack down on undocumented immigrants and increase border security.