India will open the nation’s first private military aircraft manufacturing facility on Monday, October 28, as the country aims to increase its local defence production to reduce reliance on imports, reported the news agency Bloomberg on Sunday, October 27.
The private military aircraft manufacturing factory is a joint venture between Airbus SE and TATA Advanced Systems which will produce transport aircraft to aid the Indian military’s aging fleet, as per the agency report.Â
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is set to inaugurate the facility with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat, said the report.
The first aircraft is scheduled to be delivered in 2026, and the remaining will be delivered by August 2031, reported the agency citing Indian officials aware of the development.
The manufacturing facility comes after a $2.6 billion contract between Airbus and India for 56 – C-295 transporters three years ago. Out of these 56 aircraft, 16 will be made in Spain, and the rest will be built in India. Bharat Electronics Ltd. and Bharat Dynamics Ltd. will be contributing to the program, as per a statement quoted in the report.Â
The C-295
The new C-295 aircraft, which can carry as many as nine metric tonnes or 71 troops, will replace the current Avro cargo planes, which were inducted six decades ago, as per the report.
The Indian military expects to build more of these aircraft to replace the Russian-made An-72 transporters that are nearly at the end of their service lives, according to the agency.
Local components in the India-made C-295s will rise to as much as three-fourths from about half now, said the officials, as per the report.Â
India’s Ministry of Defence spokesperson refused to comment on the details of the development.Â
India’s move comes with aims to reduce foreign-made equipment reliance, especially from Russia. Russia still remains India’s largest weapons supplier despite a dip in recent years, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, an independent thinktank, reported the agency.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has delayed weapon supplies to India affecting defense preparedness and adding greater urgency to locally produce weapons, according to the agency report.
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First Published
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27 Oct 2024, 07:47 PM IST
Business NewsNewsIndiaIndia aims less foreign dependence, ramps up defence aircraft production with Airbus factory launch in Gujarat