New Delhi: In a major boost to domestic aerospace, a consortium of European major 'Airbus' and Indian conglomerate Tata will make the C295 military transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Gujarat’s Vadodara. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the manufacturing project on October 30, 2022.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel are among those who will attend the function. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday, Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar said, as part of the contract, 16 aircrafts will be delivered in flyaway condition and 40 will be manufactured in India.
TATA Consortium of Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) will lead the first of its kind project in which a military aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company. The total cost of the project is Rs 21,935 crore. The aircraft can be used for civilian purposes as well, he added.
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The first 16 fly-away aircraft are scheduled to be received between September 2023 and August 2025. The first Made in India aircraft is expected from September 2026. As India under the leadership of PM Modi focuses on its flagship 'Aatma Nirbhar Bharat' program in the defense sector, this development is likely to give a strong impetus and will boost the defense sector.
"96% of the total man-hour work per aircraft that Airbus employs at its manufacturing facility at Spain will be undertaken in India by the TATA Consortium. Manufacturing of over 13,400 Detail Parts, 4,600 sub-assemblies and all the seven Major Component Assemblies will be undertaken in India, along with tools, jigs and testers", said a statement from the Press release of the Ministry of Defense.
All 56 aircraft will be fitted with indigenous Electronic Warfare suite of Indian DPSUs – Bharat Electronics Ltd and Bharat Dynamics Limited. After completion of delivery of 56 aircraft to IAF, M/s Airbus Defence & Space will be allowed to sell the aircraft manufactured in India to civil operators and export to countries which are cleared by the Government of India.
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With a prime focus on building indigenous defense supplies that is likely to give a boost to the employment generation, "The TATA Consortium has identified more than 125 in-country MSME suppliers spread over seven states. This will act as a catalyst in employment generation in the aerospace ecosystem of the country.
It 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 of India. Nearly 240 engineers will be trained at Airbus facility in Spain" it further said.
It is pertinent to note here that the plane can take 40 paratroopers or 71 passengers. It can land on short runways and even unprepared runways, IAF Vice-Chief Air Marshal Sandeep Singh said. In September last year, the Cabinet Committee on Security approved the procurement of 56 military transport aircraft from European manufacturer Airbus at a cost of nearly Rs 22,000 crore.
