Airbus and Tata Advanced Systems Limited will manufacture the C-295 aircraft at the facility to be developed by the joint venture in Vadodara in Gujarat. The construction of the manufacturing facility for the tactical military aircraft will be started on Sunday, and PM Narendra Modi will lay a ceremonial foundation stone to make be beginning of the construction of the plant.
C-295 transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force to be manufactured by Tata-Airbus at Vadodara in Gujarat: Defence Officials pic.twitter.com/0txKqTlDIX
— ANI (@ANI) October 27, 2022
Last year the union cabinet had approved the purchase of 56 C-295MW military transport aircraft from Airbus for the Indian Air Force for around ₹22,000 crore, with the condition that 40 of them will be made in India. It was announced that the first 16 aircraft will be purchased in flyway condition from Spain within 48 months of the signing of the contract, and the rest 40 will be manufactured in India by a consortium led by Tata Advanced Systems Limited in collaboration with Airbus.
Confirming the selection of Vadodara as the site to make the C-295, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar informed at a press conference that 96% of the work on the aircraft that Airbus does in its facility in Spain would be done in the Indian facility. Over 13,400 parts of the C295 would be sourced from 125 Indian suppliers located in seven Indian states. This includes electronic warfare suite for the aircraft to be made by public sector BEL, which will be fitted in all 56 planes. Kumar added that this project will have one of the highest indigenous content.
The Defence Secretary further said that apart from making 40 C-295 aircraft, the facility at Vadodara will also manufacture additional aircraft for Air Force requirements and exports. The 40 planes made at the Vadodara plant will be delivered from 2026 to 2031. The plant is expected to deliver 8 aircraft per year. On the other hand, the first batch of 16 planes will be delivered by Airbus from its CASA plant in Spain from 2023 to 2025.
After delivering the order of IAF, the C-295 plant will serve as a hub for the exports of the aircraft to other countries. Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar also said that the Airbus-Tata facility will be able to manufacture larger aircraft in future.
Attending the press conference, IAF officials informed that the first Indian Air Force squadron of C-295 transport aircraft would also be based in Vadodara. IAF Vice Chief Air Marshal Sandeep Singh said that after the induction of 56 C-295 planes, the IAF will become the largest operator of the aircraft.
The IAF is acquiring the C-295 aircraft to replace its fleet of old Avro HS748 transport planes. IAF currently operates 57 Hawker Siddeley HS 748 aircraft, originally designed by British company Avro and manufactured under licence by HAL in India, which are being retired. HAL had offered to upgrade the HS 748 Avro fleet to modernise it, but the IAF had rejected the proposal as the aircraft lacks crucial features needed in modern military transport planes. The lack of a rear ramp door in the Avro aircraft means that it can’t be used to transport military equipment for logistical support, and has largely been used for troop and VVIP movement.
The C-295 will also take the place of An-32 planes, which have seen several accidents in the past. The AN-32 is not fit to fly in difficult terrain in North East, and the C-295 will play a crucial role near the Chinese border.
C-295 aircraft is a twin-turboprop transport aircraft of 5-10 Tonne capacity with contemporary technology. The aircraft has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para dropping of troops and cargo.
India currently operates several different military transport aircraft. Apart from the British plane HS 748 Avro and Ukraine-made AN-32, the IAF operates Soviet-made Ilyushin Il-76, and American large transport planes Boeing C-17 Globemaster and C-130J Super Hercules.
