More muscle to India’s air power, 1st pvt military aircraft plant takes wings

India’s first private sector military aircraft making facility was jointly inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi and Spanish President Pedro Sanchez in Vadodara today.

Rs 21,935 cr project

• Tata, Airbus had inked deal to manufacture 56 aircraft at a cost of Rs 21,935 crore
• 16 aircraft are being delivered by Airbus from Spain, remaining to be manufactured in India
• First aircraft from the Vadodara facility to roll out in Sept 2026, the remaining by Aug 2031

About C-295 planes

The plane is capable of carrying 9.5-tonne payload. In its troop-carrying configuration, the aircraft can transport 71 fully armed soldiers. It can land at remote, unpaved runways.

Termed the “final assembly line”, the Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and the Airbus plant will manufacture C-295 military aircraft. The plane is capable of carrying 9.5-tonne payload. In its troop-carrying configuration, the aircraft can transport 71 fully armed soldiers. It can land at remote, unpaved runways.

PM Modi started off by remembering Ratan Tata, who died earlier this month.

“India’s defence manufacturing is touching new heights. Had we not taken concrete steps 10 years ago, this plant would not have been possible,” he said while taking a dig at his predecessors. “Earlier, the priority and identity of defence manufacturing was about importing weapons and equipment,” said Modi.

India has created a vibrant defence industry, said the PM, adding, “Our exports are up 30 times. We are exporting to more than 100 countries.”

Though Modi did not give the figures, Ministry of Defence data says India’s military equipment exports stood at Rs 1,941 crore in 2013-2014 and rose to Rs 21,083 crore in 2023-24. Dwelling on India and Spain’s multifaceted partnership, Modi said, “Whether it is food, films, or football, our strong people-to-people connect has always strengthened our ties.” He also spoke about the recent football match between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

According to a deal inked by TASL and Airbus earlier, 56 aircraft are to be produced at a cost of Rs 21,935 crore. Sixteen of the planes are being delivered by Airbus from Spain, and the remaining 40 will be manufactured in India.

Airbus, which delivered the first plane in September 2023, will complete the supply by August 2025. So far, six planes have been delivered to India. The first plane from the Vadodara facility will roll out in September 2026 and the remaining by August 2031.

The project will also give a boost to aerospace ecosystem in India under its ‘Make in India’ initiative. For the 40 aircraft to be made by the TASL, a substantial proportion of C-295 components, sub-assemblies and major component assemblies of aero structure are planned to be manufactured in India. Other than the aero engine and avionics, which are sourced by Airbus, 13,000 small and big parts needed in the C-295 will be produced in India.

Of the 37 companies identified by Airbus for manufacturing parts, 33 are MSMEs.

All 56 aircraft will be equipped with an electronic warfare suite that will be indigenously manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited and Bharat Dynamics Limited. The indigenous content will rise steadily and is to reach 75 per cent for the last two dozen planes being made in India.