PM Modi lays stone for military aircraft plant in Vadodara

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New Delhi, October 30

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday laid the foundation stone of a facility to produce C-295MW military transport aircraft at Vadodara, saying India would now become a major producer of transport planes.

About C-295MW

5-10 tonne capacity aircraft

40 paratroopers can be accommodated

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• Has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and paradropping of troops and cargo
• Can land on short and even unprepared runways

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Rs 21,935-cr deal

In September last year, India sealed a Rs 21,935 crore deal with Airbus Defence and Space to procure 56 C-295 aircraft to replace the IAF’s ageing Avro-748 planes that entered service in the early 1960s.

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56 planes to be produced

• Sixteen fly-away aircraft are scheduled to be delivered to the IAF between September 2023 and August 2025
• These will be produced at the Airbus facility in Spain
• The remaining 40 planes will be manufactured in India by Tata at the Vadodara facility 2026 onwards
• Nearly 240 engineers will be trained at the Spain facility
• It is the first time that the C-295MW aircraft will be manufactured outside of Europe
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (left) was also present at the event.

European major Airbus and Indian conglomerate Tata have joined hands for the project and the first plane from the facility will be rolled out in 2026. This is the first-of-its-kind project under which a military aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company.

Sixteen aircraft are to be delivered between 2023 and 2025 in a fly-away condition to be produced at the Airbus facility at Spain. The remaining 40 planes will be manufactured in India by Tata at the Vadodara facility 2026 onwards. Nearly 240 engineers will be trained at the Airbus facility in Spain.

The electronic warfare suite is being designed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and will be fitted in all 56 planes.

A large number of parts, sub-assemblies and major component assemblies of aero structure are scheduled to be manufactured in India. The Tata consortium has identified more than 125 in-country MSME suppliers spread over seven states. This is expected to generate 600 highly skilled jobs directly, over 3,000 indirect jobs and an additional 3,000 medium-skill employment opportunities with more than 42.5 lakh man hours of work.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said, “We have taken a big step in the direction of making India a manufacturing hub of the world.” “India is presenting the opportunity of low cost manufacturing and high output,” he said, noting that the aim is to scale defence manufacturing beyond $25 billion by 2025. “Our defence exports will also exceed $5 billion,” said the PM.

He said India was making fighter jets, tanks, submarines, medicines, vaccines, electronic gadgets, mobile phones and cars. “India is becoming a huge manufacturer of transport aircraft in the world. I can foresee India will soon be manufacturing big passenger aircraft,” said the PM.

“The facility at Vadodara has the power to transform country’s defence and transport sector,” the PM said. Transport aircraft manufactured here will strengthen the armed forces and also help develop an ecosystem of aircraft manufacturing, he said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described C-295MW as a state-of-the-art aircraft, with superior capabilities and global standards that would add to the logistical capability of the IAF. Measures taken by the Ministry of Defence to promote domestic manufacturing will cater to the needs of the armed forces and also help in making India a net exporter of defence equipment, he added.