Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Mr Pedro Sanchez jointly inaugurated the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing of C-295 aircraft at TATA advanced systems limited (TASL) Campus in Vadodara, Gujarat on October 28, 2024.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister remarked that it is the Prime Minister of Spain Mr Pedro Sanchez’s first visit to India and the partnership between the two countries is finding a new direction today. Noting the inauguration of the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft, the Prime Minister said that it would not only strengthen the relations between the two nations, but also give momentum to the mission of ‘Make in India, Make for the World’. Shri Modi conveyed his best wishes to the entire team of Airbus and TATA on the occasion. The Prime Minister also paid his tributes to Late Shri Ratan Tata ji.
The Prime Minister underlined that the factory of C-295 aircraft is a reflection of the new work culture of New India and said that India’s speed from idea to the execution of any project in the country can be witnessed here. Recalling the foundation stone laying of the factory in October 2022, the Prime Minister said that the facility is now ready for production of C-295 aircraft.
“We expanded private sector participation in defence manufacturing, made public sector units more efficient, restructured ordnance factories into seven major companies, and empowered DRDO and HAL”, said Shri Modi. He said establishing defence corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu infused new energy into the sector.
Touching upon Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) scheme, the Prime Minister said that it has driven the growth of around 1,000 defence start-ups in the past five to six years. He informed that India’s defence exports have increased 30 times over the past decade, with the country now exporting equipment to over 100 countries.
The Prime Minister underlined that he was looking at today’s program beyond the manufacturing of transport aircraft. Highlighting the unprecedented growth and transformation of India’s aviation sector in the last decade, Shri Modi remarked that India was providing air connectivity to hundreds of small cities in the country, while simultaneously working to make India a hub of aviation and MRO domain.
He added that this ecosystem will also pave the way for Made in India civil aircraft in the future. Noting that various Indian airlines have ordered 1,200 new aircraft, Shri Modi said that this only meant the newly inaugurated factory will play a major role from designing to manufacturing civil aircraft to meet the needs of India and the world in the future.
Background
In September 2021, Ministry of Defence had signed a Rs 21,935-crore contract with Airbus Defence and Space SA, Spain for supply of 56 aircraft – 16 to be brought in fly away condition from Spain and 40 to be built in India by TASL.
Delivery
Of the 16 aircraft, six have already been inducted into IAF at 11 Sqn based at Vadodara. The last would be delivered by August 2025. The first Made-in-India C-295 is expected to be rolled out of the Final Assembly Line facility at Vadodara by September 2026 and the remaining by August 2031. Along with the aircraft, a Full Mission Simulator has also been installed at IAF’s Agra station.
TASL is responsible for making 40 aircraft in India. This facility becomes the first private sector Final Assembly Line (FAL) for military aircraft in the country. It will involve the full development of a complete ecosystem from the manufacture to assembly, test and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the complete lifecycle of the aircraft.
This facility has been built in less than two years. The Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone of C-295 aircraft manufacturing facility in Vadodara in October 2022. The pre-FAL production will start from December 2024 and the FAL assembly will start from October 2025.
‘Make in India’
For the 40 aircraft to be made in India, a substantial proportion of C-295 components, sub-assemblies and major component assemblies of aero structure are planned to be manufactured in India. Of 14,000 detailed parts used in one aircraft, 13,000 would be made in India from raw material. A total of 37 companies have already been identified by Airbus, of which 33 are MSMEs.
Significance of C-295
The C-295 is new generation transport aircraft used for airlift operations. It has modern technology & avionics and is perhaps the best current type in its class, with a payload of 9.5T. This aircraft is being inducted into IAF to replace the HS 748 Avro.
The C-295 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. It will provide a boost to the aerospace ecosystem in the country.
