The Defense Ministry has announced that Tata-Airbus will produce the C-295 transport plane for the Indian Air Force.
In New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the cornerstone-laying ceremony for an aircraft manufacturing facility in Vadodara, Gujarat, was a significant step toward India becoming an aviation industry powerhouse.
The aerospace and defense industries will serve as two crucial foundations in the next years as India strives to become an “Atmanirbhar.” Our defense manufacturing scale would reach $25 billion by 2025. This magnitude will be made possible by creating defense corridors in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, he noted.
The PM claims that this is the first time such a significant investment has been made in India’s aerospace and defense sectors. He also emphasized the significant economic reforms his administration has carried out over the years. These reforms have had a significant positive impact on the manufacturing sector and have given it a lift, he added.
The aviation sector in India is now expanding at the highest rate in the world. We are about to be one of the top three countries in the world for air traffic, he remarked.
According to the Prime Minister, India still retains its economic momentum in the industrial sector despite supply chain disruptions, Covid’s consequences, and a war.
Bhupendra Patel, the chief minister of Gujarat, and N Chandrasekaran, the chairman of Tata Sons, paid tribute to the prime minister at the location of the plant that makes the C-295 transport plane.
The transport aircraft that will be made in Vadodara, in the opinion of PM Modi, will both bolster our armed forces and foster new manufacturing environments.
India is now developing its potential by adhering to the slogan Make in India, make for the Globe, he continued.
The Defense Ministry has announced that Tata-Airbus will produce the C-295 transport plane for the Indian Air Force. In addition to producing 40 aircraft, this Vadodara factory will produce additional aircraft for Air Force needs and exports.
According to Tata-Airbus combined, the production of the C-295 was the first Make in India aerospace program in the private sector to involve the full development of a complete industrial ecosystem; the full lifecycle of the Aeroplan, from production to assembly, testing and qualification, to delivery and maintenance.
According to the Defense Ministry, India would manufacture around 13,400 detail parts, 4,600 sub-assemblies, and all seven key component assemblies for the aircraft.
Airbus Defense and Space will supply a number of equipment, including engines, landing gear, and avionics, while the TATA Consortium will integrate them into the aircraft.
The C295 is utilized for tactical transport of up to 71 infantry or 50 paratroopers and for logistic operations to regions that are inaccessible to current heavier aircraft because of has proven capacity to use short or ill-equipped airstrips.
The aircraft can airdrop loads and paratroopers as well as be used for casualty or medical evacuation. It is capable of performing special missions, providing disaster relief, and conducting marine patrol duties.
The project is expected to generate over 3,000 indirect jobs, over 42.5 lakh man-hours of labor in the aerospace and defense industry, and 600 highly skilled jobs directly an additional 3,000 medium-skill employment prospects.
The Airbus facility in Spain will train close to 240 engineers for the project.