India Proudly Receives Final Airbus C295 from Spain; Domestic Production of 40 Aircraft Set to Boost Defense and Industry
India Proudly Receives Final Airbus C295 from Spain; Domestic Production of 40 Aircraft Set to Boost Defense and Industry
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India has received its last of 16 Airbus C295 military transport aircraft from Spain.
Now from here onwards, Airbus will now manufacture 40 C295 aircraft in India, marking an important milestone in strengthening India’s defense capabilities.
In September 2021, India signed a contract with Airbus Defense and Space for acquisition of C295MW transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force . The C295, a transport aircraft of 5 to 10 ton capacity with a contemporary technology is set to replace the aging A group aircraft of the Indian Air Force. Under this program, a total of 56 aircraft are to be delivered of which 16 were to be delivered directly by Airbus from Spain and the remaining 40 will be manufactured here in Gujarat, India. The delivery of the last Spanish C295 came two months ahead of schedule. India’s ambassador of Spain Dinesh K. Patnaik along with officials from the Indian Air Force received the last of maiden space aircraft at the Airbus Defense and Space Assembly line in Sevilla.
The Indian Ambassador said this is part of the making India program of Prime Minister Modi which has actually seen one of the best projects that we can work on in the world today and we are going to see over the next uh five to six years 40 aircraft to be built in India. This not only will create an ecosystem for building aircraft but will also make sure that most of the parts of an aircraft are built in India too.
Expanding Job Opportunities and Strengthening Industry
Airbus and Tata described this landmark deal as a cornerstone for Atman Bharat highlighting India’s self-reliance in boosting its defense power by creating around 15,000 high-skilled direct jobs around 10,000 indirect jobs and integrating 125 domestic MSMES into the aerospace supply chain. We deliver aircraft number 16. All the aircrafts were delivered ahead of contract and we are very proud. The customer satisfaction has been 100%.
The manufacturing of the next 40 aircraft would be handled by Tata Advances Systems Limited. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez had jointly inaugurated the Tata aircraft complex for production of C295 aircraft at Tata Advanced Systems Limited campus in Vadodara, Gujarat in October last year. This is the first private sector manufacturing facility line for military aircraft in India Nation. It will be the full development of a complete ecosystem from the assembly test, qualification to delivery and maintenance of the complete life cycle of the aircraft.
Now apart from the Tatas leading defense public sector units such as Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) as well as several private micro, small and medium enterprises will contribute to this program.
Airbus C295: Tactical Workhorse with Modern Capabilities
The Airbus C295 is a medium lift tactical transport aircraft that was designed and initially manufactured by the Spanish aerospace company CASSA. The company is now part of the Airbus Defense and Space Division. The C295 has been well designed for transport of personnel and cargo in military operations. The aircraft comes with indigenous electronic warfare suits and it is capable of carrying a payload up to 9 tons, equal to 71 troops. The C295 can attain a maximum cruise speed of 260 knots and reach altitudes up to 30,000 ft. It is capable of operating from short air strips making it crucial for the military operations. Now the aircraft can be repurposed to be used for medical evacuations, VIP transport and reconnaissance.
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