• India received the last of its 16 Airbus C295 military transport aircraft from Spain, marking an important milestone in strengthening its defence capabilities.

• Indian Ambassador to Spain Dinesh K. Patnaik, along with senior Indian Air Force officials, received the aircraft at the Airbus Defence and Space assembly line in Seville on August 2. 

Deal with Airbus for purchase of 56 C295 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, a total of 56 aircraft are to be delivered, of which 16 were to be delivered directly by Airbus from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain.

• 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.

• In October 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez, jointly inaugurated the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C295 aircraft at TATA Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) Campus in Vadodara, Gujarat, in October 2024.

• 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 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 aircraft 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.

• The C295 can carry up to eight tonnes of payload or up to 70 troops at a maximum cruise speed of 260 knots. 

• Its flexibility is further enhanced by its ability to be equipped for air-to-air refuelling of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

• Powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127G turboprop engines, the C295 offers excellent manoeuvrability, and fuel efficiency enabling endurance of up to 13 hours.

• 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.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)