New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez on Monday jointly inaugurated the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing the C-295 aircraft in Vadodara, the first private sector final assembly line for military aircraft in India. A total of 40 military tactical transport aircraft will be built at the Vadodara facility as part of the agreement, while aviation giant Airbus will deliver 16 aircraft directly.

About C-295 aircraft

The C-295 is a transport aircraft of 5-10 tonne capacity with contemporary technology that will replace the Indian Air Force’s ageing Avro-748 planes.

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 cruise at the speed of 260 knots and can also operate on short airstrips. It can also land successfully on unpaved, soft, and sandy/grass airstrips.

The aircraft, called “robust and reliable”, with a flight endurance of up to 11 hours, can carry out multi-role operations under all weather conditions. It can routinely operate day as well as night combat missions from desert to maritime environments, apart from disaster response.

It can serve as a flying ICU, equipped for medical evacuations. It is equipped for the air-to-air refueling of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

The C-295 has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para-dropping of troops and cargo. Short take-off/land from semi-prepared surfaces is another of its features.

All 56 aircraft under the agreement will also be fitted with an indigenous Electronic Warfare suite manufactured by Indian DPSUs – Bharat Electronics Ltd and Bharat Dynamics Limited.

Fitted with a retractable landing gear and featuring an unobstructed 12.69-meter-long pressurized cabin, the C295 cruises at altitudes up to 30,000 feet, while also retaining excellent low-level flight characteristics.

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.

About the Tata Aircraft Complex in Vadodara

At the facility, operations 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 first C-295 aircraft may come out of Tata-Airbus’ factory in Vadodara in September 2026. The remaining 39 aircraft are to be delivered by August 2031.

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.

India will be largest operator of the aircraft with 56 units by 2031.

Vadodara:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today jointly inaugurated the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez in Gujarat’s Vadodara.

A total of 56 aircraft are there under the C-295 programme, of which 16 are being delivered directly by the aircraft manufacturing company Airbus from Spain, and the remaining 40 will be built at the facility located inside the TATA advanced systems limited (TASL) campus.

Ahead of the event, the two leaders held a 2.5 km roadshow from the airport to the Tata facility, which is the first private sector Final Assembly Line (FAL) for military aircraft in India.

PM Shri @narendramodi‘s roadshow in Vadodara, Gujarat. https://t.co/cXzONG0XSS

— BJP (@BJP4India) October 28, 2024

“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,” an official statement from PM Modi’s office said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called it a “very special day” for the Indian Aerospace industry. 

“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. The project will give a big boost to India’s growing aerospace ecosystem,” Mr Singh, who will also attend the launch event, posted on X.

Tomorrow, 28th October, is going to be a very special day for the Indian Aerospace industry.

PM Shri @narendramodi , along with his Spanish counterpart Mr. @sanchezcastejon will jointly inaugurate the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft in Vadodara.

The… pic.twitter.com/44oApxLiko

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) October 27, 2024

PM Modi laid the foundation stone of the FAL plant of C-295 aircraft in Vadodara in October 2022.

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

Why C-295 Aircraft Is A Game-Changer

The C-295 is a transport aircraft of 5-10 tonne capacity with contemporary technology that will replace the Indian Air Force’s ageing Avro-748 planes. 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, called “robust and reliable”, with a flight endurance of up to 11 hours, can carry out multi-role operations under all weather conditions. 

It can routinely operate day as well as night combat missions from desert to maritime environments. 

A game changer for #IAF and #AatmanirbhartainDefence–
Tata & @AirbusDefence to manufacture C-295MW transport aircraft in India.
What makes the aircraft special? Check out here@rajnathsingh@IAF_MCC@drajaykumar_ias@DefProdnIndia@TataCompanies#IAFTransportAircraftpic.twitter.com/W30131dcVc

— Ministry of Defence, Government of India (@SpokespersonMoD) October 29, 2022

The C-295 has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para-dropping of troops and cargo. Short take-off/land from semi-prepared surfaces is another of its features.

All 56 aircraft under the agreement will also be fitted with an indigenous Electronic Warfare suite manufactured by Indian DPSUs – Bharat Electronics Ltd and Bharat Dynamics Limited.

The first C-295 transport aircraft manufactured by Airbus for the Indian Air Force at Seville, Spain is scheduled to be delivered in September.
| Photo Credit: Dinakar Peri

In about 45 days from now, in September, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will receive the first C-295 transport aircraft and ahead of it, six pilots have been trained in Seville by Airbus and training of a 20-member maintenance crew is currently under way. Ground breaking ceremony for a training centre at Air Force station, Agra, was done in March with a full motion simulator to be delivered by the end of 2024. Work is under way for setting up the Final Assembly Line (FAL) at Vadodara in partnership with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), according to Jorge Tamarit, head of C-295 India programme, Airbus. The first aircraft manufactured in India would be delivered in September 2026.

“The FAL in Vadodara will be ready by mid-2024 and start production by November 2024,” Mr. Tamarit said speaking to a small group of visiting journalists from India. “Next week the Main Constituent Assembly [MCA] in Hyderabad is set to start production where several major sub-assemblies for the 40 aircraft to be assembled in India would be made, beginning with the rear-end fuselage.”

Explained | The C-295 and India’s aircraft industry

The second C-295 will be delivered in May 2024 followed by seven aircraft in 2024 at the rate of one per month, said Jorge Madrid, head of C-295 India-version development programme.

In September 2021, the Defence Ministry signed a ₹22,000-crore deal with Airbus and Space S.A., Spain, for procurement of 56 C-295MW transport aircraft to replace the Avro aircraft in service with the IAF. As per contract, 16 aircraft would come in fly away condition, manufactured at the Airbus facility in Seville, and 40 would be manufactured in India by Airbus jointly with TASL.

The C-295 has a capacity of 9 tonnes and can carry up to 71 troops or 50 paratroopers. Eventually, IAF will become the largest operator of the C-295.

Talking of the uniqueness of the deal, Mr. Tamarit said the contract involving ‘Make-in-India’ and offset obligations is unprecedented. Airbus has not done a full production system ever, he said stating the deal involves 30% offset obligations on top of ‘Make-in-India’ obligations. The contract includes service support programme: spares, ground support and test equipment, tech publications, training, training devices, performance-based logistics contract. In March, the contract for Performance Based Logistics (PBL) for five years was signed as per which a fleet availability rate of 85% rate would be ensured. Also the contract for supply of spares is for 10 years covering 10 operating bases.

The FAL spread over 36 acres will be ready by mid-2024 and operations will start by November 2024. All parts produced in Hyderabad will be shipped to Vadodara for the final assembly.

The MCA in Hyderabad is set to start production by next week beginning with the rear-end fuselage, followed by rear fuselage, centre fuselage and so on. We are doing fortnightly deliveries of tail parts to India, Mr. Tamarit said. These are for the 17th C-295 which will be the first aircraft to be manufactured in India. The first ‘Make-in-India’ aircraft is scheduled to be delivered in September 2026 and the contract would be completed by 2031.

Indigenous radar warning receiver and missile approach warning systems made by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and counter-measure dispensing system made by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) have been certified and installed on the first aircraft, Mr. Madrid stated.

In all, 14,000 detailed parts would be made in India and roughly around 3,500 parts will be industrialised every year, said Mr. Tamarit. Tata-produced parts would be sequentially incorporated from aircraft 17 to 32 and from the 30th aircraft onwards 100% of the tail parts and labour would be in India. The last eight aircraft from 32 to 40 would have the maximum indigenous content, he said, adding the scheduled delivery of the 32nd aircraft is in the first quarter of 2029. “We measure indigenisation by labour hours and by the 32nd aircraft it will reach 98%.”

Engines, avionics and some systems like landing gear are not done by Airbus and would be sourced directly. So Tata will not be doing them as well as a small number of detailed parts, Mr. Tamarit noted adding some technologies like Chemical Milling will be transferred by Airbus to Tata. “It is an Intellectual Property licence agreement.”

The project will create 15,000 direct jobs and 10,000 indirect jobs over the coming 10 years. Airbus currently employs over 2,750 full-time employees in India and its exports from supply chain is $750 million per year in terms of components and services. 

Under the offset obligations, to begin with it will be direct sourcing and Airbus is looking to diversify, officials added.

A deal for 15 more C-295s to be converted into a maritime role for the Navy and Coast Guard by the Defence Research and Development Organisation is in the pipeline and discussions are on for it, company officials said. Approval from the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is awaited for this.

The IAF has 56 Avro transport aircraft procured in the 1960s and in urgent need of replacement. The Request For Proposal was issued to global firms in May 2013 and the sole bid by Airbus and Tata Group with the C-295 aircraft was approved by the DAC in May 2015.

(The writer was in Spain on the invitation of Airbus.)