For the first time in the country, a private company is manufacturing aircraft for the army. The C-295 cargo plane will be built for the Air Force in a joint venture between the Tata Group and Spain's Airbus Defense and Space. Recently the Defense ministry announced this deal. These transport aircraft will be purchased for the Air Force at a cost of about 20 thousand crores. Air Force's Avro-748 aircraft will be replaced by these C-295 aircraft. This is an initiative of the 'Make in India' project.
On 8 September, the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, approved the purchase of these aircraft. However, India will buy a total of 56 C-295 aircrafts from Spain. Of these 56 C-295 aircraft, 16 new aircraft will be brought from Spain. However, the remaining 40 aircraft will be made in India itself. These aircraft will be made by Tata Advanced Systems of the Tata Group. In this, Tata will get help from Spanish company 'Airbus Defense and Space'.
56 C-295 cargo aircraft will be procured over the next ten years. These planes will be purchased from the Spanish company 'Airbus Defense and Space'. 16 aircraft will arrive from Spain in 'ready-to-fly condition within the next 48 months after the signing of the agreement for the purchase of the aircraft. The remaining 40 aircraft will be manufactured by the Tata group of India over the next 10 years. It is being claimed that this will create 15,000 high-level employment opportunities. Along with this, more than 10 thousand people will get indirect employment.
The chairman of Tata Trusts Ratan Tata has congratulated Airbus Defence, Tata Advanced Systems Limited, and the Ministry of Defense on this deal. He called it a big step for the country's aviation industry and aviation projects. These aircraft can take off from short runways and land on short runways. The company says that this aircraft can fly only at a distance of 320 meters. At the same time, only a length of 670 meters is enough for landing the aircraft. This characteristic of the aircraft is important during expeditions in mountainous areas.
These C-295 aircraft will replace the Avro aircraft in the Indian Air Force. The IAF has 56 Avro transport aircraft, which the IAF purchased in the 1960s. However, these need to be replaced immediately. In this regard, a request for replacing Avro aircraft (RFP) was sent to the companies in May 2013. In May 2015, the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the tender for C-295 aircraft of Tata Group and Airbus.
The Ministry of Defense said that a large number of components and equipment would be manufactured in India. Once these aircraft are supplied, plans are underway to build and maintain C-295 aircraft in India. The facility will serve as the regional hub for a variety of C-295 aircraft.
The aircraft can carry a payload of 7,050 kg. Also, it can carry 71 soldiers or five cargo pallets at a time and can fly for 11 hours. The crew is equipped with a 'Smart Control System' with 'Touchscreen Control' in the cabin. The aircraft has a ramp door, which is more convenient for loading-dropping. The last date for submission was 31 March 2018. But not a single company had submitted documents to the government by the stipulated date.
