India's dreams of making large military aircraft in the private sector will fructify soon as the final assembly line (FAL) plant of the Tata Advanced Systems Ltd’s (TASL) facility in Vadodara is taking off. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, will jointly inaugurate the facility on October 28.
The factory is part of a $2.5 billion (over ₹21,000 crore) deal India signed in 2021 with Airbus Defence and Space (Airbus DS) to supply 56 C-295 military aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF). The C-295 aircraft, currently made by Airbus Defence and Space (Airbus DS) at its San Pablo Sur plant at Seville in Spain, can carry up to 71 troops or 50 paratroopers, airdrop cargo, be used for medical evacuation and take off and land in short and unpaved runways.
As per the deal, the first 16 aircraft will be provided from Airbus's facilities in Spain, and the remaining will be made in India. Airbus DS chose aerospace and defence manufacturing specialist TASL as its partner. Prime Minister Modi, on October 30, 2022, laid the foundation stone for the C-295 transport aircraft manufacturing facility at Vadodara.
As per the plan, the engine and key machinery will be imported into India from Airbus AD's facilities. The body and components of these aircraft will be made at the Main Constituent Assembly (MCA) facility in Hyderabad. The FAL in Vadodara will assemble the aircraft, to a ready-to-take-off condition.
The first 'Made in India' C-295 medium-lift tactical transport aircraft will come out of the Vadodara FAL by September 2026 and the final aircraft is expected to be delivered to the IAF by August 2031. The facility will also offer maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) support and service for the total 56 aircraft to be inducted by the IAF. Airbus DS has 283 global orders from 41 operators and the C295 is the undisputed leader in its segment and stands out for its versatility, says an Airbus DS press release.
Airbus DS delivered the first C-295 in September 2023 to India and the second was handed over to IAF in May 2024. Another 14 are being rolled out from the same plant in Spain, with a plan to deliver one aircraft every month until August 2025.
The Indian Air Force has been using Avro Hawker Siddeley HS748, a twin-engine military transport and freighter made in the UK, since the 1960s. the C-295 will replace this old Avro fleet.
Airbus and TASL also have an agreement in place to establish the H125 Final Assembly Line (FAL) for Airbus Helicopters in India. The FAL will be the first instance of the private sector setting up a helicopter assembly facility in India, which will produce Airbus’ best-selling H125 helicopter from its civil range for India and the neighbouring countries.
