In a significant boost to India’s indigenization efforts in defense and aerospace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will inaugurate the Tata Aircraft Complex in Vadodara, Gujarat, which will produce the C-295 transport aircraft. Tata will become India’s first private company to manufacture military aircraft, as part of a Rs 21,935-crore agreement between India’s defense ministry and Airbus Defense and Space SA, Spain, signed in 2021. Out of the 56 C-295 aircraft ordered, 16 will arrive from Spain fully assembled, while Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) will manufacture the remaining 40 in India.
The Vadodara facility includes a Final Assembly Line (FAL) and is set to begin pre-FAL production by December 2024, with full assembly starting in October 2025. India received its first aircraft in September 2023, with a total of six now inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) and stationed with the 11 Squadron in Vadodara. The final 16 ready-made aircraft are expected by August 2025, while the first India-assembled plane is projected for rollout in September 2026, with all 40 units to be completed by 2031. The Defense Ministry is also expediting an order for an additional 15 C-295s, which includes nine for the Indian Navy and six for the Indian Coast Guard.
This new fleet will replace the aging HS 748 Avro aircraft, which has served the IAF since the 1960s. The C-295 is a versatile, next-generation tactical transport aircraft, equipped to perform airlift missions under various weather conditions, day or night. Capable of carrying 71 passengers, 44 fully equipped paratroopers, or 24 stretchers, the C-295 will play a crucial role in enhancing the Indian armed forces’ transport capabilities.
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