New Delhi: Spanish President Pedro Sanchez is set to begin his three-day official visit to India on Sunday following an invitation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This marks his first visit to the country and the first by a Spanish President in 18 years.
Sanchez and PM Modi will inaugurate the Final Assembly Line Plant of C295 aircraft at Vadodara on Monday. The flagship project in the aviation sector is being set up by Tata Advanced Systems in collaboration with Airbus Spain under the "Make in India” initiative.
This will likely give a major boost to India’s aviation sector, which has been facing challenges over the last many years.
About Final Assembly Line Plant
The C295 program for India was formalised in September 2021 to acquire 56 Airbus C295 aircraft to replace the Indian Air Force (IAF) legacy AVRO fleet. Subsequently, India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Airbus Defence & Space of Spain signed a contract valued at $2.5 billion for the supply of 56 aircraft. Once the delivery and assembly of the fleet are complete, India will have the largest customer/fleet for Airbus DS, Spain, on the C295 aircraft.
Under the contractual agreement, Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft in ‘fly-away’ condition from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain. The first of 16 aircraft was delivered to the IAF from Spain in September 2023. Six aircraft have already been delivered to the Indian Air Force from Spain.
Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. is the Indian Aircraft Contractor, responsible for making 40 out of the 56 aircraft in India as part of an industrial partnership between the two companies. The Final Assembly Line (FAL) plant in Vadodara will roll out the first Made in India C295 aircraft in 2026.
The foundation stone for the Vadodara FAL was laid by the Hon'ble PM on October 30, 2022. The first ‘Make in India’ C295 will roll out of the Vadodara FAL in 2026. The 56th aircraft is expected to be delivered to the IAF by 2031.
Industrial Set-Up
The first 'Make in India' project in aerospace in the private sector involved the full development of a complete industrial ecosystem: from the manufacture to assembly, testing, and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the complete lifecycle of the aircraft.
Apart from Tatas, leading defence public sector units such as Bharat Electronics Ltd. and Bharat Dynamics Ltd., as well as private micro, small, and medium enterprises, will contribute to this program.
The TASL-owned Final Assembly Line of the aircraft is in Vadodara. TASL also owns the Main Constituent Assembly (MCA) facility in Hyderabad. It has 24,000 sqm of production space for FAL and an additional 20,000 sqm for MCA. More than 18,000 parts are to be made in India, supporting Atmanirbhar Bharat, and over 1 million hours of labour effort per aircraft are to be done by TASL and its supplier.
The program will likely generate direct employment of 3000+ at various sites and more than 15000 indirect employment.
Aircraft parts made in the MCA will be shipped to the Vadovara FAL for final assembly. The 24 Equipment Depot, Air Force Station, Manauri in Prayagraj has been designated as the central stock holding depot for C295 spares.
In March 2023, a training centre at Air Force Station, Agra, was unveiled. It will have a full motion simulator to be delivered by the end of 2024.
TASL will provide support for fleet maintenance (MRO) to IAF for more than 25 years post-induction of the aircraft. The future variants of C295 will also be adapted for other services (Navy and Coast Guard). This is already in the advanced stages of discussions.
Additionally, work is being undertaken in using Indian engineering capabilities to digitise the engineering to the latest standards.
Know About C295 Aircraft
The C295 aircraft is used for tactical transport of up to 71 troops or 50 paratroopers and logistic operations to locations that are not accessible to current heavier aircraft. It has a proven capability of operating from short or unprepared airstrips.
The aircraft can airdrop paratroops and loads and also be used for casualty or medical evacuation (medevac), as demonstrated during the COVID-19 crisis, using either basic litters or mobile intensive care units (ICU) with life support equipment. The C295 can perform special missions as well as disaster response and maritime patrol duties.
Sanchez’s India Itinerary
President Sanchez will hold delegation-level talks with PM Modi. The two leaders will inaugurate the Final Assembly Line Plant of C295 aircraft at Vadodara, a flagship "Make in India” initiative in the aviation sector, on Monday. The project is being set up by Tata Advanced Systems in collaboration with Airbus Spain.
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will also call on Sanchez during his visit.
Sanchez will later visit Mumbai, where, apart from official engagements, he will interact with trade and industry leaders, think tanks, and the film industry. A number of MoUs and agreements are expected to be signed during the visit, which shall give a fillip to bilateral cooperation.
India and Spain enjoy close and friendly relations. The bilateral ties got a fresh impetus after Prime Minister Modi visited Spain in 2017.
President Sanchez’s visit will be an opportunity to review the entire gamut of our bilateral relations and further deepen the partnership across various sectors, including trade and investment, IT, innovation, infrastructure, renewable energy, defence and security, pharma, agro-tech and biotech, culture, and tourism.
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