'Make in India' takes flight: PM Modi, his Spanish counterpart Sanchez to inaugurate C295 Assembly Line

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez will open the final assembly line for the C295 plane at Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. (TASL) in Vadodara on Monday, i.e., October 28.

Sanchez will open the factory during his official trip to India from October 27th to 29th. The government has called this a "flagship" "Make in India" project in the aerospace sector and it will be the first private sector facility in India to make military aircraft.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) will operate the Airbus C295 transport aircraft built at the plant, which TASL set up in association with Airbus Spain.

Prime Minister Modi began the project two years ago on October 30, and he will officially open it with Sanchez on Monday, according to a statement from the Gujarat government this week. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has also confirmed the inauguration event.

In September 2021, India officially signed a deal worth nearly Rs 21,000 crore with Airbus Defence and Space to buy 56 C295 transport aircraft. These new planes will replace the Indian Air Force's older Avro-748 fleet.

Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft directly from its assembly line in Seville, Spain. The other 40 will be built and assembled in India by TASL, as part of a partnership between the two companies.

In September 2023, Airbus officially delivered the first C295 aircraft, built in Seville, to the Indian Air Force.

According to an Airbus statement, the first 'Make in India' C295 is expected to come out of the Vadodara plant by September 2026, with the final aircraft set to be handed over to the IAF by August 2031.

The statement also mentioned that the production of parts for these aircraft has already begun at a facility in Hyderabad.

C-295MW Military Transport Aircraft

The Airbus C295 is a next-generation transport aircraft designed for a wide range of missions. It can be used to transport soldiers and supplies, perform maritime surveillance, gather intelligence, and carry out medical evacuations.

The C-295 can transport up to nine tonnes of cargo or up to 71 soldiers, with a top cruising speed of 260 knots (approx 483 km/hr)The aircraft can be used to airdrop troops and supplies, and it’s also suitable for medical or casualty evacuations. It is capable of handling specialized missions, disaster relief, and maritime surveillance.This 24.46-meter-long aircraft is able to take off and land on short, rough airstrips that larger transport planes like the C-17 Globemaster III or IL-76 cannot access.

This ability enables the aircraft to deliver supplies to troops stationed in remote areas near the India-China border, landing on advanced landing grounds (ALGs) like Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) in the Depsang Plains.

The 24 Equipment Depot in Prayagraj will act as the main warehouse for storing spare parts and components for the C-295 fleet. As per Airbus India’s head, by the time the 30th C-295 is built, India will be able to manufacture the aircraft independently, without needing further assistance from Airbus.

There are ongoing discussions about setting up a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility for C-295 aircraft in India. This MRO facility would not only support the Indian Air Force's C-295s but also serve other C-295 operators in South Asia and the Middle East, including the UAE, Philippines, Thailand, Uzbekistan, and Indonesia.