30 Oct 2024
It is India’s first private military aircraft manufacturing facility, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
India’s first military aircraft manufacturing facility, inaugurated in Vadodara, Gujarat, should be operational by next month. The first C-295 aircraft is expected to launch in September 2026.
India signed the ₹21,935 crore deal with Airbus Defence and Space SA, Spain, to procure 56 C-295 replacing the Indian Air Force’s ageing Avro-748 aircraft. According to the agreement, Airbus will deliver 16 fully assembled aircraft from Spain, while Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) will make the remaining 40 in India.
Airbus will also provide TASL with the needed manufacturing technology, component assemblies, and other tools. Indigenous systems, like radar warning receivers and missile approach warning systems, will be created and supplied by Bharat Electronics Limited and Bharat Dynamics Limited.
Facilities for Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) will also be set up to position India as a domestic and international regional servicing hub. Aircraft manufactured at the Vadodara facility will also be exported.