The Indian Air Force’s (IAF) decade-long wait for a multi-role tactical transport aircraft is finally over as the government on Wednesday (September 8) cleared the long-pending, nearly USD 3 billion deal for procuring 56 C-295MW transport aircraft. The decision was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that cleared the procurement.
Once inducted into the IAF will replace its ageing IAF fleet of Avro 748 transport aircraft that first flew in 1961 and this will also be a big boost to the ‘Make in India’ initiative as India will receive 16 aircraft in a flyaway condition from Spain within 48 months of the signing of the contract and the remaining 48 aircraft will be manufactured in India by the TATA Consortium within 10 years of signing the contract.
All 56 aircraft will be installed with the indigenous Electronic Warfare Suite and the project will give a boost to the burgeoning aerospace industry in India In an interview with ThePrint this February, Rémi Maillard, president of Airbus India and the company’s managing director for South Asia, said the manufacturing of the aircraft domestically “will be the trigger to develop a total aerospace ecosystem in India”.
The new transport carriers dimensions are smaller than the IAF’s fleet of C-130Js, C-17s, and IL-76s, however, the C-295s can take off and land at many airstrips and airports where the larger aircraft can’t.
“A large number of detail parts, sub-assemblies and major component assemblies of aero structure are scheduled to be manufactured in India. The programme will act as a catalyst in employment generation in the aerospace ecosystem of the country and is expected to generate 600 highly skilled jobs directly, over 3,000 indirect jobs and an additional 3,000 medium-skill employment opportunities with more than 42.5 lakh man hours of work within the aerospace and defence sector of India,” the defence ministry said.
“It will involve development of specialized infrastructure in form of hangars, buildings, aprons and taxiway. During the process of manufacturing in India, it is expected that all the suppliers of TATA Consortium who will be involved in special processes, will gain and maintain globally recognized National Aerospace and Defence Contractors Accreditation Program (NADCAP) accreditation,” the ministry added.
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