Defence Ministry signs deal with Spain for acquisition of 56 C-295MW aircraft for IAF

A day after sealing a contract for 118 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) Arjun for the Indian Army, the Ministry of Defence in another development under Centre's Make in India scheme has signed a contract with M/s Airbus Defence and Space, Spain for the acquisition of 56 C-295MW transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force. As announced by the Ministry of Defence on Friday, it has also signed an offset contract with Airbus through which the company will now discharge its offset obligations through direct purchase of eligible products and services from the Indian Offset Partners. 

The contract which was signed after approval was given by the Cabinet Committee on Security earlier in September will be an insignificant step towards the modernization and transformation of the transport fleet of the IAF. Further, it will give a major boost to the central government's Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan which will provide the Indian private sector with an opportunity to enter into a technology-intensive and highly competitive aviation industry. 

Out of the 56 transport aircraft, 40 will be manufactured in India by the Tata Consortium. It was confirmed by the Tata group on Thursday as it signed a Rs 22,000 crore deal with the Centre for manufacturing C-295 transport aircraft. 

Manufacturing of C-295 MW transport aircraft in India

The C-295 MW is a 5-10 tonne capacity aircraft with contemporary technology which will now replace the Avro transport aircraft utilised by the IAF. It is capable of operating from semi-prepared strips and has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para dropping.

According to the Defence Ministry, the delivery of the 56 aircraft will be completed within 10 years of this contract. It will be installed with the indigenous electronic warfare suite and later can be exported to other countries after getting a clearance from the Centre. Furthermore, the project will also give a boost to the aerospace ecosystem in India wherein several MSMEs will get the opportunity to be involved in the manufacturing of the aircraft.

Thus, in a major boost to strengthen the government's Make in India initiative, the program is yet another approach by the Defence Ministry this week. 

Meanwhile, Airbus which is Europe's largest space corporation has a long history of collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). They have collaborated for designing and constructing two communication satellites for European customers. 

Image: PTI