Tata Advanced System Ltd. will manufacture C-295 aircraft in India

Why in the news?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spanish President Pedro Sanchez inaugurated a unit at Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. (TASL) to manufacture C-295 aircraft in Vadodara.

Key points:

• Under this deal with Airbus Spain, India has purchased a total of 56 C-295 aircraft.
  • Out of this, 16 are being delivered directly by Airbus from Spain.
• The remaining 40 aircraft will be manufactured in India itself.
  • These aircraft will be manufactured in India by Tata Advanced Systems.
  • The first aircraft will be received in September 2026.
  • After this the rest will be supplied.
• The last aircraft will be received in August 2031.
• Tata Aircraft Complex inaugurated to manufacture C-295 aircraft at TASL campus in Vadodara.
• This facility will be the first private sector Final Assembly Line (FAL) for military aircraft in India.
• The project will generate 600 highly skilled direct and 3000 indirect jobs.

About C295 aircraft:

• C-295 is a tactical military transport aircraft.
• It is set to replace the ageing Avro-748 fleet.
  • They were inducted in the 60s.
• The aircraft can carry 71 troops or 50 paratroopers.
• All the aircraft will be equipped with electronic warfare suite.
  • It provides communication, security and sensing capabilities using the electromagnetic spectrum.
• It is capable of flying in all types of weather.
• It is designed for the purpose of relief air transport.
• It can carry up to 9.5 tonnes of weight.

Airbus Spain and India's deal for C-295:

• A deal was signed on September 24, 2021 to buy 56 C-295 transport aircraft from Spain.
• The Defense Ministry had made this deal for Rs 21,935 crore.

Aircrafts received from Airbus Spain:

• 16 aircraft are being delivered directly by Airbus from Spain.
• Six of these have been delivered to the Indian Air Force.
• The seventh aircraft can be delivered to the Air Force by the end of this year.
• The delivery of these 16 aircraft is to be completed by August 2025.

Manufacturing of aircraft in TASL:

• The first 16 aircraft to be manufactured in it will have 48 percent indigenous content.
• The next 24 aircraft to be manufactured will have 75 percent indigenous content.
• The use of indigenous material will be up to 78 percent in the 12 more aircraft to be manufactured here.
• Airbus has provided licenses to 37 Indian companies to manufacture parts of these aircraft.

Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL):

• It is a non-governmental aerospace and defense company of India.
• It is a subsidiary of the Tata Group.
• It was established in the year 2007.