With 3,000 personnel, India’s pvt. Military Aircraft production dreams take flight

Context: Spread over 50 acres in area, India’s first private military
aircraft production facility will employ around 3,000 personnel and indirectly
provide a much larger number of jobs to others across the country. The Tata
Advanced System Limited (TASL)-Airbus Final Assembly Line (FAL) facility, which
was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish
counterpart Pedro Sanchez on Monday, will manufacture C295 medium-lift tactical
transport aircraft for the IAF. The facility is expected to start functioning after
Diwali. The facility will be stationed in Vadodara, Gujrat.

Key points

·      
Overview: On October 28, 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, inaugurated Tata Advanced
Systems Limited's (TASL) new C-295 aircraft manufacturing facility.

·      
Significance
of the Event: Defence
Minister emphasized the importance of this project, stating it is a achievement
for India's aerospace sector, as it is the first time a complete military
aircraft will be manufactured by a private company in India.

Strategic Partnership- The collaboration between TASL and Airbus Defence and Space symbolizes
a strengthened defence relationship between India and Spain, aiming for
long-term technological cooperation.

·      
C-295
Program: In 2021, India’s Ministry of
Defence signed a ₹21,935-crore agreement with Airbus for the procurement of 56
C-295 transport aircraft. This procurement is intended to replace the Indian
Air Force’s aging fleet of Avro-748 planes.

Delivery Schedule- Fully Assembled Aircraft: 16 C-295 aircraft will be delivered fully
assembled from Spain. Local Assembly: The remaining 40 aircraft will be
assembled at the new facility in Vadodara. Timeline: The first locally produced
aircraft is expected to be completed by September 2026, with all 40 units
scheduled for delivery by August 2031.

·      
Facility
Capabilities: The
Vadodara facility is designed to handle the entire production lifecycle,
encompassing- Component manufacturing, Assembly, Testing, Final delivery, Future
maintenance and upgrades.

The facility aims to create a holistic ecosystem for
military aircraft production in India, promoting indigenous capabilities and
reducing reliance on foreign suppliers.

·      
Significance
of the Tata Aircraft Complex: In
addition to Tata, major defence public sector units such as Bharat Electronics
Ltd. and Bharat Dynamics Ltd. will contribute to the project, along with
various Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Make in India Initiative- The C-295 project exemplifies the "Make in India" initiative,
with a focus on domestic production and technological advancement.

·      
Employment
Generation: The facility is projected to
create direct employment for over 3,000 individuals and more than 15,000
indirect jobs, significantly boosting local economies. PM Modi highlighted the
facility's potential to transform the job landscape, creating thousands of
opportunities in the region.