Airbus-Tata could do for aviation what Suzuki did for auto industry

The Airbus-Tata joint venture to produce the C-295, the first military aircraft to be made by private sector in India, is not just about a new set of wings for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Will give wings to make in india

Joint ventures between Indian firms and aviation majors like Airbus, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, have been making small parts and assemblies for global supply chains, however, none has made an entire plane or a helicopter in India.

The joint venture has credentials of catalysing the private aviation manufacturing industry akin to what Japanese company Suzuki did in the early 1980’s when it partnered with Maruti to make the first modern passenger car in India. Maruti-Suzuki now exports made in India cars for the Japanese markets.

After PM Narendra Modi and Spanish President Pedro Sanchez inaugurated the final assembly line of the C-295, Modi said, “I hope planes made here would be exported to other countries. This region could be a major hub of aviation manufacturing in India.” Sanchez on Monday promised ‘full transfer of technology’. Joint ventures between Indian firms and aviation majors like Airbus and Boeing have been making small parts and assemblies for global supply chains. But none has made an entire plane or a helicopter in India. The Ministry of Defence-owned HAL makes planes and copters.

The C-295 has multiple usages in the military sector and civilian application. The Airbus says, “It can be tailored for various missions — for carrying troops and cargo, maritime patrol, airborne warning systems, surveillance and reconnaissance, collect signals intelligence, provide armed close air support, etc”. In February, the MoD approved a project to get 15 additional C-295 planes that would be used for the maritime surveillance and patrol version. If this contract is signed, it will be separate from the 56-plane contract for IAF.

The plane’s future use may include usage by commercial airliners for short haul flights or to service small airports in the Himalayas. The C-295 with a speed of 480 km/hour and an endurance of 13 hours, would be ideal to push tourism and serve smaller cities connected under the ‘Udan’ scheme.

Michael Schoellhorn, CEO, Airbus Defence and Space, said: “Airbus is on a ‘long-haul’ flight in India. We will design, build, skill and make in India.”