Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is reaching Vadodara Monday where he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold bilateral talks and inaugurate the Final Assembly Line (FAL) plant of the C295 medium-lift tactical transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force.
The Vadodara facility is India’s first private military transport aircraft production plant, a partnership between Tata Advanced System Limited (TASL) and Airbus Defence and Space (Airbus DS).
Under the first ‘Make in India’ aerospace programme in the private sector, India is to acquire 56 C295 aircraft to replace the IAF’s legacy Avro fleet.
Airbus is to deliver the first 16 aircraft in fly-away condition from its FAL in Seville, Spain. The remaining 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by TASL at the Vadodara facility.
With a proven capability of operating from short or unprepared airstrips, the C295, sources said, is used for tactical transport of up to 71 troops or 50 paratroopers, and for logistic operations to locations that are not accessible to current heavier aircraft.
It can airdrop paratroopers and loads, and can be used for casualty or medical evacuation (medevac), as demonstrated during the Covid-19 crisis, using either basic litters or mobile intensive care units (ICU) with life support equipment. The aircraft can perform special missions as well as disaster response and maritime patrol duties.
Sources said the Ministry of Defence and Airbus DS signed a USD 2.5 billion contract for the supply of 56 C295. The first of 16 aircraft was delivered to the IAF from Spain in September 2023 – so far 6 aircraft have been delivered.
The FAL plant in Vadodara, sources said, will roll out the first Made-in-India C295 aircraft in 2026. The 56th aircraft is expected to be delivered to the IAF by 2031.
Explained
Entering the IAF
The medium-lift C295 aircraft is replacing IAF’s Avro fleet. The first 16 aircraft are being delivered in fly-away condition from the Airbus facility in Seville, Spain. The first of the remaining 40 aircraft to be made in Vadodara will roll out by 2026 and deliveries will be completed by 2031.
The first Make-in-India project in aerospace in the private sector involves 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.
Apart from the Tatas, leading defence public sector units such as Bharat Electronics Ltd and Bharat Dynamics Ltd as well as private MSMEs will contribute to this programme, sources said.
At present, the only final assembly line for the C295 aircraft is located in Seville – it also produces the Airbus A400 aircraft. This is the first time Airbus will have a full production system in another country.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, accompanied by his spouse Begona Gomez, will be on an official visit to India from October 28 to 30.
He will be welcomed with a Shobha Yatra, a roadshow, and will hold bilateral talks with Modi at the Laxmi Vilas Palace.
This will be his first visit to India – the first by a Spanish PM after 18 years. Modi and Sanchez have met several times on the sidelines of multilateral meetings.
Sanchez will also visit Mumbai where, apart from official engagements, he will interact with trade and industry leaders, think tanks and the film industry.
He will address the 4th Spain India Forum, organised by the Spain India Council Foundation and the Observer Research Foundation. He will visit prominent film studios where he will interact with leading celebrities of Indian movie industries with the aim of fostering greater collaboration between the Indian and Spanish media and entertainment industry.
“A number of MoUs/agreements are expected to be signed during the visit which shall give a fillip to bilateral cooperation,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
Underlining that India and Spain enjoy close and friendly relations and the bilateral ties got a fresh impetus after Prime Minister Modi visited Spain in 2017, the MEA said that Sanchez’s visit will be an “opportunity to review the entire gamut of our bilateral relations and further deepen the partnership across various sectors including trade and investment, IT, innovation, infrastructure, renewable energy, defence and security, pharma, agro-tech and bio-tech, culture and tourism”.
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