Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez will on October 28 jointly inaugurate the Tata Aircraft Complex in Vadodara for the manufacture of the C-295 transport aircraft, a watershed in the country’s private sector that will produce a military aircraft for the first time.

It will be the first final assembly line for military aircraft in the private sector in India, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Saturday.

“It will involve the complete development of a complete ecosystem from manufacturing to assembly, test and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the entire life cycle of the aircraft,” the PMO said.

In September 2021, the Ministry of Defense signed a ₹21,935-crore contract with Airbus for 56 planes to boost confidence in the defense manufacturing sector. Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus are implementing the program jointly. The contract calls for the European planemaker to deliver 16 C-295s in ready-to-fly condition, while the rest will be assembled in Vadodara.

Airbus has already delivered six C-295s to the Indian Air Force, while the seventh aircraft is expected to enter service by year-end, HT has learnt. The IAF inducted its first C-295 in September 2023.

The last of the 16 aircraft will be delivered to the IAF in August 2025, while the first Indian-made C-295 will roll out of the Vadodara facility in September 2026 and the remaining 39 in August 2031.

In October 2022, Modi laid the foundation stone of the Vadodara facility. The IAF will be the world’s largest operator of the C-295.

The plan will increase the air force’s logistics capabilities to meet mission requirements in forward areas, including those near the disputed border with China, and replace its aging fleet of Avro transport aircraft that entered service in the early 1960s.

Besides the Tatas, leading defense public sector entities such as Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) as well as micro, small and medium enterprises will contribute to the programme, the PMO said.

All 56 aircraft will be equipped with the indigenous electronic warfare suite developed by BEL and BDL. While BEL supplies the radar warning receiver and missile approach warning system, BDL provides the countermeasures dispensing system.

The C295 agreement includes performance-based logistics support for five years, supply of spare parts over 10 operating bases for 10 years, ground support and test equipment, and training.

As part of the C-295 project, the manufacturing of more than 13,000 parts, 4,600 sub-assemblies and all major component assemblies will be carried out in the country. To be safe, equipment such as engines, landing gear and avionics will be provided by Airbus and integrated into the aircraft. The tactical airlifter is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW127G turboprop engines.

The aircraft can carry up to nine tons of payload or 71 personnel or 45 paratroopers and has a maximum speed of 480 km/h. It can also operate from short or unprepared airstrips and has a rear ramp for para-dropping troops and cargo.

Airbus Helicopters has also shortlisted eight sites in India to set up a production line for the H125 chopper, the fourth facility in the world, in partnership with TASL, and the company has anticipated demand for 500 helicopters in the country and South Asia over the next 20 years . The single-engine H125’s final assembly line in India will be a first for a civil helicopter in the private sector.

The first H125 is expected to roll out of an Indian facility in 2026. These helicopters are currently manufactured only in France, the US and Brazil. In India, TASL will handle major components, avionics and mission systems, flight controls, hydraulic circuits, fuel systems and the engine.