- Thursday, April 18, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
IN a major push to the ‘Make in India’ campaign, India has formalised the acquisition of 56 Airbus C295 aircraft to replace the Indian Air Force (IAF) legacy AVRO fleet.
It is the first ‘Make in India’ aerospace programme in the private sector which involves development of a complete industrial ecosystem – from the manufacture to assembly, test and qualification to delivery and maintenance of the complete lifecycle of the plane.
Under the contractual agreement, Airbus will give the first 16 aircraft in ‘fly-way’ condition from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain. The rest of the planes will be manufactured and assembled by Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) in India as part of an industrial partnership between the two companies.
The first 16 planes will be delivered over a period of four years after the contract implementation. All the IAF C295s will be given in transport configuration and equipped with an indigenous Electronic Warfare Suite, Asian News International reported.
“This 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,” Michael Schoellhorn, chief executive officer (CEO) of Airbus Defence and Space, said in a statement issued on Friday (24).
“The C295 has proven again as the segment leader, and with the addition of India as a new operator, the type will enlarge its footprint even more, not only on the operational aspects but on its own industrial and technological development,” he added.
Sukaran Singh, managing director and CEO, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd, said: “This is a moment of pride for Tatas and a milestone for the Indian military manufacturing ecosystem. For the first time, an Indian private company will be wholly manufacturing an aircraft in India. This endeavour demonstrates Tata Advanced Systems’ capabilities as a defence manufacturer to build globally competitive complex platforms in India.”
‘Make in India’ is at the heart of Airbus strategy in India, with the company continuously increasing the country’s contribution to its global product portfolio.
Tata Sons chairman emeritus Ratan Tata hailed the clearance of the joint project between Airbus and TASL and called it a “great step forward”.
Congratulations to Airbus Defence, Tata Advanced Systems Limited and the Indian Defence Ministry 🤝 @tataadvanced @indiandefence @AirbusDefence @TataCompanies pic.twitter.com/3pNvA4slMR
— Ratan N. Tata (@RNTata2000) September 24, 2021
