While 16 twin-turboprop C-295MW aircraft will be delivered in flyaway condition by M/s Airbus Defense and Space (Spain) within two years of signing of the actual contract, the remaining 40 will be manufactured in India. Tata Consortium within 10 years.
This would be the first time an Indian private sector company would build a military aircraft, albeit with the transfer of technology from a foreign firm, breaking the virtual monopoly of defence. PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in the region.
The C-295 project, which has been pending for nearly a decade, is not the only one to replace the Avro aircraft, which was first incorporated in the early 1960s. The new aircraft would also perform some of the “functions” of the older AN-32 fleet.
A 5-10 tonne capacity transport aircraft, the C-295MW has a rear ramp door for quick response and para-dropping of troops and cargo. All the 56 aircraft will be fitted with indigenous Electronic Warfare Suite.
“The project will give a boost to the aerospace ecosystem in India in which several MSMEs spread across the country will be involved in manufacturing parts of aircraft. The C-295 aircraft may later find some buyers in the civil aviation market.
“Before the completion of the delivery, a D-level MRO The (Maintenance, Repair and Operation) facility for the C-295MW aircraft is about to be set up in India. The facility is expected to serve as a regional MRO hub for a variety of C-295 aircraft.”
In May 2015, the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by the then Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar gave the first approval. Tata-Airbus Project The move was seen as a bold move by the previous UPA government after it developed cold feet under strong pressure from the PSU lobby, as reported by TOI.
Another concern was tata-airbus The project had emerged as a “single vendor” in the field. But the government recognized that the technical and commercial bids of the Tata-Airbus consortium were submitted in a competitive environment even though the other seven claimants withdrew for one reason or the other. Since then it has been more than six years for the final approval by the CCS.
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