• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez inaugurated the Tata Advanced System Limited (TASL)-Airbus facility to manufacture C295 military aircraft in Vadodara on October 29.

• The Tata-Airbus facility is the first private sector Final Assembly Line for military aircraft in India.

• PM Modi expressed hope that the ecosystem created by this manufacturing facility will help India manufacture civil aircraft in future.

• Sanchez said the first aircraft will be ready to roll out from this facility in 2026.

• TASL and Airbus are partnering for the ‘Make in India’ project to deliver  C295 aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Deal with Airbus for purchase of 56 C-295 transport aircraft

• In September 2021, India sealed a nearly Rs 21,000 crore deal with the Airbus Defence and Space to procure 56 C295 transport aircraft to replace the ageing Avro-748 planes of the Indian Air Force, under a project that entails manufacturing of military aircraft in India for the first time by a private company.

• Under the agreement, Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft in ‘fly-away’ condition from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain, within four years.

• The subsequent 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by the Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) in India as part of an industrial partnership between the two companies.

• A total of six aircraft have already been delivered.

• PM Modi laid the foundation stone for the Vadodara Final Assembly Line complex in October 2022.

• The facility in Vadodara will involve the full development of a complete ecosystem, from manufacture to assembly, test and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the complete life cycle of the aircraft.

• The Final Assembly Line (FAL) complex will integrate manufacturing of detail parts and related tooling, sub-assemblies, major component assemblies, tools, jigs and testers. 

• The production of components of the C295 aircraft have already started in the Main Component Assembly facility in Hyderabad. 

• The parts for the first C295 aircraft to be made in India have been shipped to the Vadodara FAL, where the aircraft will be assembled and then delivered to the IAF. 

• The first ‘Make in India’ C295 will roll out of the Vadodara FAL in September 2026, which will be a milestone for the Indian aerospace industry, and shall ramp-up to deliver 40 aircraft to the IAF by August 2031, as required by the IAF contract.

• India has become the largest customer for the C295, with the acquisition of 56 aircraft.

• Tata Advanced Systems Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons, is a significant player for aerospace and defence solutions in India. 

• Apart from the Tatas, leading defence public sector units, such as Bharat Electronics and Bharat Dynamics, as well as private micro, small and medium enterprises will contribute to this programme.

Highlights of C295

• Airbus’ new generation C295 is a highly versatile tactical transport that is tailored for missions that range from carrying troops and cargo, maritime patrol, airborne warning, surveillance and reconnaissance to signals intelligence, armed close air support, medical evacuation, VIP transport and airborne firefighting.

• It is capable of carrying up to nine tonnes of payload or as many as 71 troops at a maximum cruise speed of 260 knots. 

• Adding to its flexibility is the capability of being equipped for the air-to-air refueling of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

• It has short take-off & landing (STOL) performance from unpaved, soft, and sandy/grass airstrips.

• The C295 is combat proven, having been successfully used during long deployments in remote areas such as Chad, Iraq and Afghanistan. It routinely operates in the hot and humid conditions of the Brazilian jungle and Colombian mountains, in the dusty and very hot deserts of Egypt and Algeria, and in the extremely cold and icy winters of Poland, Finland and Kazakhstan.

• With more than 200 aircraft in operation, the C295 has an outstanding track record of reliability, demonstrating daily its worth as a highly efficient workhorse.

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