Article Posted on : - Oct 28, 2024

The C-295 medium tactical transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force. (Photo: Airbus Defence and Space/ Sergio Flores)

NEW DELHI (PTI): Ahead of the inauguration of a manufacturing facility for C-295 planes in Vadodara, official sources have said that of the 40 military aircraft to be made in India, the first C-295 is likely to roll out of the plant in September 2026.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will inaugurate the Vadodara plant on Monday for manufacturing C-295 aircraft by Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL).

Prime Minister Modi had laid the foundation stone of the Final Assembly Line (FAL) plant of C-295 aircraft in Vadodara in October 2022.

The Ministry of Defence in September 2021 signed a Rs 21,935-crore contract with Airbus Defense and Space SA, Spain for supply of 56 aircraft.

Of these 56 aircraft, a total of 16 will be brought in flyaway condition directly from Spain, and 40 will be built in India by Tata Advanced Systems.

First C-295 medium tactical transport aircraft was delivered in September 2023, and inducted into the Indian Air Force in presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at an induction ceremony held at the Hindan airbase in Ghaziabad.

As on date, the IAF has "already inducted six C-295 aircraft" in its Vadodara-based 11 Squadron.

The last of the 16 flyaway aircraft will be delivered by August 2025, an official source said.

"Of the 40 aircraft to be made in India, the first C-295 will roll out of the Vadodara facility in September 2026 and the remaining 39 aircraft by August 2031," the source added.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is scheduled to visit India from October 28 - 30, during which he will visit the Vadodara facility on Monday.

PM Modi and Sanchez will inaugurate the Final Assembly Line plant of C295 aircraft at Vadodara, the first private sector final assembly line for military aircraft in India, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement on Saturday.

The IAF is procuring the C-295 aircraft to replace its fleet of ageing Avro-748 planes that entered service over six decades ago.

The C-295 is known to be a superior aircraft used for tactical transport of up to 71 troops or 50 paratroopers, and for logistic operations to locations that are not accessible to current heavier aircraft.

The aircraft can airdrop paratroops and loads, and also be used for casualty or medical evacuation.

The aircraft is capable of performing special missions as well as disaster response and maritime patrol duties.

The production of components of these aircraft had already started in the Main Constituent Assembly (MCA) facility in Hyderabad. These parts will be shipped to the Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Vadodara, officials said in September last year.

The Indian manufacturing consortium is led by TASL, which is the Tata group's strategic entity under Tata Aerospace and Defence in an industrial partnership with Airbus Defence and Space SA, Spain.

Along with the aircraft, a full mission simulator has also been installed at IAF's Agra station, the sources said.

For the 40 aircraft to be made in India by TASL, a substantial proportion of C-295 components, sub-assemblies and major component assemblies of aero structure are planned to be manufactured in India.

"Other than the aero-engine and avionics, which are sourced by Airbus from other OEMs, the other structural parts will mostly be made in India. Of 14,000 detailed parts used in one aircraft, 13,000 would be made in India from raw material," the official source added.

A total of 37 companies have already been identified by Airbus, of these 33 are MSMEs, the sources said, adding, there has been a significant progress in the make portion of the contract.

All 56 aircraft will be equipped with an electronic warfare suite that will be indigenously manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), the sources said.

The value addition by TASL will gradually increase from 48 per cent in the first 16 aircraft to 75 per cent in the remaining 24 aircraft, they said.

The C295 project is a huge accomplishment for the Indian private industry as it is the first project of its kind in which a complete military aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company.

The project will also give a boost to aerospace ecosystem in India under its 'Make in India' initiative.

The Final Assembly Line (FAL) facility has been built at Vadodara in a very short time. The pre-FAL production will start from December 2024 and the FAL assembly will start from October 2025, the sources further said.

The number of man-hours that Airbus employs to manufacture an aircraft in Spain, will be gradually transferred to India. Initially it will be 78 per cent for first five aircraft, which will increase to 96 per cent for remaining 35 aircraft, they said.

The project is expected to generate 600 highly skilled jobs directly, over 3,000 indirect jobs and an additional 3,000 medium-skill employment opportunities with more than 42.5 lakh man-hours of work within the aerospace and defence sector, they added.