Tata and Airbus joins hands to manufacture C-295 transport aircraft for IAF in Gujarat

Tata, an Indian multinational conglomerate, will manufacture C-295 transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force in Vadodara, Gujarat in partnership with Airbus, ANI quoted defence officials as saying.

Tata-Airbus will manufacture the C-295 transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force in Vadodara, Gujarat. PM Modi will lay the groundwork for the C-295 transport aircraft manufacturing plant in Vadodara on October 30, according to a Defence Ministry spokesperson.

"Apart from making 40 aircraft, this facility at Vadodara in Gujarat would be manufacturing additional aircraft for Air Force requirements and exports," ANI quoted the defence secretary as saying.

Airbus had previously announced that it had received regulatory approval from the Indian regulator for its C295 aircraft programme, making it the first foreign original equipment manufacturer to do so.

The deal, worth Rs 21,000 crore, was signed between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the European aerospace/defense major Airbus for the purchase of 56 C-295 aircraft. It is a joint venture between Tatas and Airbus.

According to the agreement, Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft in 'fly-away' condition from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain within four years, and the subsequent 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled in India by Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) as part of the two companies' industrial partnership.

The Airbus Defence and Space Quality Management System (QMS) for the C295 aircraft has been approved by the DGAQA, India's regulatory authority for aeronautical quality assurance, according to a statement from the aerospace company.

Once inducted, the C-295 fleet will gradually replace the Indian Air Force's (IAF) ageing Avro fleet. PM Narendra Modi stated during his October 9 visit to poll-bound Gujarat that the day will come when Gujarat will manufacture planes.

"Previously, we were unable to manufacture even cycles in Gujarat; now, we are manufacturing cars, and the day is not far when we will manufacture aircraft in the state," Modi had said during the inauguration of development projects in the state.

The aircraft's production could begin in 2025. The project, which is expected to generate employment and investment, could be a significant boon to poll-bound Gujarat. Airbus previously stated that the C-295 manufacturing plant in India would create 15000 skilled jobs and 10,000 indirect jobs.

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