Vadodara: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a visit to Gujarat, laid the foundation stone of C-295 transport aircraft manufacturing facility on Sunday in Vadodara.
PM Modi was felicitated and presented with a memento by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Tata Sons chairperson N Chandrasekaran at the occasion.
The C-295 transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force will be manufactured by Tata-Airbus, said Defence Ministry officials.
Apart from making 40 aircraft, this facility at Vadodara would be manufacturing additional aircraft for Air Force requirements and exports, as per Defence Secretary Aramane Giridhar.
Speaking on the occasion, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “Today, for the first time in the country, the foundation stone of an aircraft manufacturing facility is being laid by the private sector. It is certainly a matter of pride for the defence sector as well as for the entire country.”
“It is not just a foundation stone but a milestone in the defence sector’s ‘Atmanirbharta’ journey. C-295 aircraft manufactured at this facility will be state-of-the-art aircraft with superior capabilities and global standards. It will significantly enhance the logistic capability of Indian Air Force,” Singh added.
With the launch of the C295 aircraft manufacturing facility, India will enter an illustrious league of about only a dozen nations with the capacity to manufacture military transport aircraft. Currently, the US, Japan, UK, Russia, France, Italy, Spain, Ukraine, Brazil, China, and Japan has that capacity.
Tata-Airbus combine had said that C-295 manufacturing is the first Make in India aerospace programme in the private sector involving the full development of a complete industrial ecosystem; from manufacture to assembly, test and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the complete lifecycle of the aircraft.
Under the terms of the deal, 16 C-295 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered between September 2023 and August 2025 in flyaway condition, while the remaining 40 aircraft will be manufactured at the Vadodara facility.
In another first, “indigenous content in the planes will be the highest ever in India, and 96 per cent of the work that Airbus does in Spain will now be done at the new facility.”
The Defence Ministry said this project “offers a unique opportunity for the Indian private sector to enter the technology-intensive and highly competitive aviation industry. It will augment domestic aviation manufacturing resulting in reduced import dependence and expected increase in exports.”
(With Agency Inputs)