C295 plant in Gujarat: A significant step in India’s transport aircraft production ecosystem

The defence and aerospace sectors are the two important pillars for making India self-reliant in coming years

read more

Representative image. PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez, jointly inaugurated the Tata Aircraft Complex in Vadodara, Gujarat. Sánchez’s visit is the first by a Spanish leader in 18 years. Modi called the new Airbus C295 plant an example of ‘New India’. The Spanish PM assured full transfer of technology to the Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) which will build 40 planes between 2026 and 2031. Both Prime Ministers also took a walkthrough of the exhibition showcased on the occasion.

The C295 is already bolstering the medium lift tactical capability of the Indian Air Force (IAF). The defence and aerospace sectors are the two important pillars for making India self-reliant in coming years.

PM Modi’s Encouraging Words

During the inauguration of the complex for manufacturing C295 aircraft, PM Modi said that it would not only strengthen the relations between the two nations but also give momentum to the mission of ‘Make in India, Make for the World’, as they will one day be exported. Recalling the foundation stone laying of the factory in October 2022, India’s speed from idea to the execution of any project in the country can be witnessed here, he added. He noted that India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem was scaling new peaks today.

India’s transformation of the defence sector exemplifies how a right plan and partnership can turn possibilities into prosperity. He underlined that strategic decisions have spurred the growth of a vibrant defence industry in India over the last decade. “We expanded private sector participation in defence manufacturing, made public sector units more efficient, restructured ordnance factories into seven major companies, and empowered DRDO and HAL,” he said.

He said establishing defence corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu infused new energy into the sector. Talking of the iDEX (Innovation for Defence Excellence) scheme, the Prime Minister said that it has driven the growth of around 1,000 defence start-ups in the past five to six years. India’s defence exports have increased 30 times over the past decade, with the country now exporting equipment to over 100 countries.

The Prime Minister laid emphasis on skilling and job creation and said that projects like the Airbus-Tata factory will create thousands of jobs. He said that the factory will support indigenous manufacturing of 18,000 aircraft parts, providing immense opportunities for MSMEs across India. Noting that India is one of the biggest suppliers of parts for the world’s major aircraft companies even today, Modi said that the new aircraft factory will give a big boost to new skills and new industries in India.

PM Modi underlined that this milestone was much beyond the manufacturing of a transport aircraft. He highlighted the unprecedented growth and transformation of India’s aviation sector in the last decade, India was providing air connectivity to hundreds of small cities in the country, while simultaneously working to make India a hub of aviation and MRO domain. He added that this ecosystem will pave the way for Made-in-India civil aircraft in the future. The newly inaugurated factory would play a major role from designing to manufacturing civil aircraft to meet the needs of India and the world in the future.

Vadodara was already a stronghold of MSMEs, and will act as a catalyst in these efforts of India. Modi conveyed his best wishes to the entire team of Airbus and TATA. He also paid his tributes to the late Industrialist Ratan Tata.

 Opening A New Chapter

The Spanish PM was all praise for Modi’s vision to turn India into an industrial powerhouse and a magnet for investment and business to business to collaboration. “Airbus opens a new chapter, partnering with India’s defence and space industry. This project strengthens our industrial ties, while underlying our country’s deep commitment as a reliable and a strategic partner. It shows as well the capabilities of the Spanish defence industry–with its world class expertise,” Sánchez said.

Sánchez has promised that Spain would “fulfil its commitments to technology transfer” as it is “essential” for the creation of an “authentic” ecosystem in this sector in India.

 C-295 Programme

The Rs 21,935 crore, 56 C295 transport aircraft deal was inked in 2021. It was meant to replace the old Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) licence-built HS-748 (Avro) planes of IAF. India will buy 56 aircraft from Spain. Sixteen C295 will be delivered in a fly-away condition, while the other 40 will be made in the Vadodara plant set up by TASL in partnership with Airbus Spain. The first C295 landed in India in September 2023. Six C-295s have been delivered to the IAF till date. The remaining ten will come by August 2025 as per the agreement.

The first plane built in India will be out in 2026, while the whole fleet is expected to be delivered by 2031. The first 16 of these will have 48 per cent indigenous components, and the remaining 75 per cent. Indigenous manufacturing of 18,000 parts of the aircraft will take place. The factory will create thousands of jobs in India.

India is reportedly looking to procure 15 additional C295 transport aircraft from Airbus, beyond the 56 already contracted, of which 12 would be manufactured in India, while three would come in fly-away condition, according to official sources. The Indian Navy will get nine and the Indian Coast Guard will get six.

C295 and MRO

Of the 40 C295s that TASL will build, eight will be from semi-knocked down (SKD) kits and another eight from completely knocked down (CKD) kits. The remaining 24 will have incrementally indigenising assemblies and sub-assemblies. This would mean approximately eight aircraft production per year. Before completion of deliveries, a D-level MRO (maintenance, repair and operations) facility will be set up in India. This facility will act as a regional MRO hub for various variants of C295 aircraft. All 56 aircraft will be fitted with indigenous electronic warfare suite developed by Bharat Electronics Ltd and Bharat Dynamics Limited. The indigenous content in the planes will be the highest ever in India, and 96 per cent of the work that Airbus does in Spain will gradually be done at the new facility in India.

Manufacturing of more than 13,400 parts, 4,600 sub-assemblies and all major component assemblies will be carried out in the country, while some equipment such as engines, landing gear and avionics will be provided by Airbus Defence and Space, and integrated on the aircraft by the Tata consortium, the defence ministry said. The Tata consortium has identified more than 125 domestic MSME suppliers spread across different states. The project will generate thousands of jobs. Also, around 240 engineers have been trained at the Airbus facility in Spain.

Tata Final Assembly Line

In October 2022, PM Modi had laid the foundation stone for the Vadodara Final Assembly Line (FAL). TASL facility becomes the first private sector FAL for military aircraft in India. Till now all aircraft building was a monopoly of the public Sector HAL. Giving a boost to aatmanirbharta, the deal allows transfer of technology to the private firm. It will involve the full development of a complete ecosystem from the manufacture to assembly, test and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the complete lifecycle of the aircraft.

Great Operational Air Asset

Airbus CASA C295MW is a highly versatile tactical transport that undertakes missions that range from carrying troops and cargo, maritime patrol, airborne warning, surveillance and reconnaissance to signals intelligence, armed close air support, medical evacuation, VIP transport and airborne fire-fighting. In the Indian context, it will be a great asset for paratrooper missions for Special Forces operations, military air logistics in the Himalayas, Search and Rescue (SAR) missions, and border surveillance. It will be a great asset for Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR). In a fire-fighting role it could carry 7,000 litres of water or retardant.

India could later decide to have an Anti-Submarine Warfare variant, or even an Airborne Early Warning version. Some countries use it even for Counter-Terrorism Operations. It could also be converted into a Flight Refuelling Aircraft (FRA). The medical evacuation configuration would mean 24 stretchers plus seven medical attendants.

The C295 was originally designed by the Spanish company CASA in the 1990s as Nurtanio CN-235. CASA joined the European aeronautical group EADS in 2000. The now designated C-295 made its first flight on 28 November 1997 and entered service with the Spanish Air Force in 2001. In the designation, “C” represents CASA the manufacturer, and then a three-digit number, of which the first indicates the number of engines, two in this case, and the next two its target payload of 9.5 tonnes. The aircraft has a rear ramp door for quick-reaction and para-dropping of troops and cargo. All 56 aircraft will be installed with indigenous electronic warfare suites.

The designation ‘M’ stands for military transport version. Aircraft is capable of carrying up to nine tonnes of payload. This variant means capacity for 71 troops, 48 paratroopers, 27 stretchers, five 2.24 × 2.74 m (88 × 108 inches) pallets, or three light vehicles. The ‘W’ is for the enhanced performance version with winglets and uprated engines.

It has a maximum cruise speed of 260 kts. With a 12.69-meter-long pressurized cabin, the C295 cruises at altitudes up to 30,000 ft., while also retaining excellent low-level flight characteristics. It has remarkable short take-off & landing (STOL) performance from unpaved, soft, and sandy/grass airstrips.

The aircraft has good manoeuvrability, exceptional hot-and-high performance, and low fuel consumption allowing nearly 13-hour endurance. More than 200 aircraft are already flying with the armed forces of 36 countries. Another 80 more are on order. C295 operators have logged over 500,000 flight hours in all types of environments. It has seen action in Chad, Iraq and Afghanistan. It routinely operates in the hot and humid conditions of the Brazilian jungle and Colombian mountains, in the dusty and very hot deserts of Egypt and Algeria, and in the extremely cold and icy winters of Poland, Finland and Kazakhstan. Clearly it is going to be a work-horse for the IAF.

The C295 offers optional self-protection equipment including cockpit armour, chaff/flare dispensers, along with radar warning (RWR), missile warning (MAWS) and laser warning (LWS) systems. In-flight refuelling capability is an option for the aircraft.

 India’s Transport Aircraft Production Ecosystem

HAL had built 89 HS 748, 125 Dornier 228. Hindustan-228 (VT-KNR) is the Indian variant of Dornier 228. The Saras aircraft is being developed by NAL. The HAL/NAL Regional Transport Aircraft (RTA) or Indian Regional Jet (IRJ) is a regional airliner being designed by NAL and to be manufactured by HAL. The aircraft is planned to be a turboprop or a jet with a capacity of 80-100 passengers. The 90 seater variant of the aircraft is under design, and is targeted for around 2026. But C295 will help build the large Indian component and subsystem manufacturing ecosystem.

 Private Players

Big private industrial houses have come into defence manufacturing in a serious way. Tatas are making the AH-64 Apache combat helicopter fuselage, aero-structures for Boeing’s CH-47 Chinook helicopters. All C-130Js delivered to customers around the world have major aero-structure components from India producing 24 C-130 empennages annually. Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, also relies on Hyderabad-based TASL as the manufacturing base for its global supply of cabin for the S-92 helicopter. Tata group is working with GE to manufacture CFM International LEAP engine components in India. Lockheed Martin selected TASL to produce F-16 wings in India.

There are many private companies making defence electronics, large aero-components, advanced technology components and sub-systems. Dynamatic Technologies makes assemblies of vertical fins for Sukhoi 30 MKI fighters. They are also supplying aero-structures to Airbus for its A320 family of aircraft and the wide-body 330 aircraft. Hyderabad’s VEM technologies manufactures centre fuselage for LCA Tejas. Many Indian MSMEs and start-ups are entering defence production.

 C295 Comparison with HS-748 and An 32

Operational Boost to IAF

Unlike the HS 748, the C295 aircraft has a rear ramp that will ease loading and unloading and para drops. The aircraft can operate from short or unprepared airstrips. It will be well suited for operations in the valleys and advanced landing grounds in the Himalayas. The aircraft performance is better than both the HS 748 and the An-32 transport planes and can carry a larger number of troops and cargo. It has a better combination of range, speed and service ceiling. It will be used as both utility cargo aircraft and for para drop. In the past IAF had converted its transport aircraft such as An 12 and An 32 for bombing roles, such an option could be possible in C295 also. Unlike the other two, it has options for six external stores.

Last year, IAF issued a Request for Information (RFI) for Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) 18 and 30 tons of cargo carrying capacity for the replacement of the AN-32 fleet. It will be chosen from abroad and Made-in-India. In the long run, if India decides to extend the production line, it could also replace the depleting An 32.

Way Ahead

India’s fighter aircraft and helicopter building ecosystems are already in place, and now C295 will give a boost to transport aircraft production in India. It will also bring better manufacturing and systems technologies. This project should also help India in pushing its own commuter aircraft.

The next logical step would be to build the regional jets and single aisle aircraft of Boeing 737 and Airbus a 320 class. It is pertinent to mention that China’s Comac C919 narrow-body airliner is about to enter service and has nearly 1,000 orders from Chinese airlines. India is the fastest growing airline market and there is a huge demand for civil aircraft and engines. There is also a huge maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) market to be tapped. All this will give further push to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (self-reliant India campaign).

The writer is former Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.