The Narendra Modi government on Thursday, October 27, said Airbus Defence & Space and Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) will manufacture the C-295 transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Gujarat's Vadodara.

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The Airbus C-295 aircraft is a transport plane with a 5-10 tonne capacity. The C295 is a new-generation tactical airlifter in the light and medium segment. It has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para-dropping of troops and cargo. Short takeoff/landing from semi-prepared surfaces is another of its features.

According to Airbus, the aircraft is fully certified and routinely operates day and night in combat missions in all weather extremes, from desert to maritime environments, from extremely hot to extremely cold temperatures. Till now, more than 250 aircraft have been ordered by customers worldwide.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the manufacturing plant of C295 transport aircraft on October 30, a Defence Ministry spokesperson said.

Defence secretary Ajay Kumar said the facility will act as a regional MRO hub for all C-295. It will also be manufacturing additional aircraft as per the requirements of IAF, and also for exports in future.

According to the contract signed last year, the C-295 medium transport aircraft will replace the ageing Avro-748 planes of the Indian Air Force. Airbus Defence will procure 56 C-295 medium transport aircraft, which will replace the ageing Avro-748 planes of the Indian Air Force.

Under the deal, 16 aircraft will be delivered in a fly-away condition by Airbus Defence within 48 months of signing the contract. The remaining 40 planes will be manufactured in India by a consortium of Airbus and Tata within 10 years of signing the contract.

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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. The cost of the procurement is expected to be Rs 20,000 crore.

All 56 aircraft will be installed with an indigenous electronic warfare suite. The in-principle approval for the Avro replacement programme was accorded around 10 years back. A large number of detail parts, sub-assemblies and major component assemblies of aerostructure are scheduled to be manufactured in India.

Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, in 2021 said the contract will support the further development of India's aerospace ecosystem, bringing investment and 15,000 skilled direct jobs and 10,000 indirect positions over the coming 10 years.

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(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)