Page 22 - ADT SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2021 Online Magazine

well but also the Government of India’s vision
of an Atmanirbhar Bharat”,

All 56 aircraft for the IAF will be fitted with
an indigenous electronic warfare (EW) suite
provided by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
According to the Indian MoD, the Indian man- [ AIR SYSTEMS ]
ufacturing aspect of the deal is expected to
generate 600 highly skilled jobs directly and
over 3,000 indirect jobs with an additional 3000
medium skill employment opportunities. The
entire programme could generate more than
42.5 lakh man hours of work within the Indian
aerospace and defence sector. Airbus will also
setup a ‘D’ Level servicing facility for Indian
C295MW aircraft, which is slated to be ready
before completion of deliveries. It will involve
emerged as the sole bidder to the MoD’s Request for Proposal development of specialized infrastructure in
(RFP) issued in 2013. The C295 was evaluated in India by the IAF form of hangars, buildings, aprons and taxi-
during Field Evaluation Trials (FET) which were completed in 2016. way. Airbus Defence and Space will discharge
The Indian C295MW is a variant of the C295W, which has been its offset obligation for the contract through
available since late 2014 as the standard version of the aircraft Airbus with direct purchase of eligible products
for sale. and services from Indian Offset Partners. The
Tata Group began its aviation foray in earnest,
The delivery of 56 aircraft is split into two batches - sixteen aircraft when it set up Tata Advanced Systems Ltd
delivered in flyaway condition directly from Spain by 2025 and (TASL) in 2007 as its strategic entity into the
manufacture of the remaining 40 aircraft in India will be completed Aerospace & Defence industry and is the first
by the Tata Consortium by 2031. The C295MW programme will Indian private sector firm to make the leap to
be the first instance of manufacture of a military aircraft by a pri- assembling a military transport aircraft.
vate firm and the deal will also result in Indian industry having to
manufacture a large number of detail parts, sub-assemblies and "AIRBUS WILL BRING ITS COMPLETE
major component assemblies for aero structures. Remi MAILLARD, BOUQUET OF WORLD-CLASS
President and MD, Airbus India & South Asia said, “The signing of
the C295 contract marks a new dawn in India’s defence industry. AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURING
The programme will put India on the global map of prominent air- AND SERVICING TO INDIA IN
craft manufacturing countries, serving not only the Indian Air Force COLLABORATION WITH OUR
INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS, INCLUDING
TATA, LEADING DEFENCE PUBLIC
SECTOR UNITS SUCH AS BEL AND

BDL, AS WELL AS PRIVATE MSMES,”
said Rémi Maillard, President and MD, Airbus
India & South Asia.

Quest for Transport
The induction of the modern C295MW which
features modern avionics, powerful and reliable
Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127G turboprop
engines and excellent short take-off & landing
(STOL) performance from unpaved, short, or
soft sandy/grass airstrips will provide a major
boost to the IAF’s tactical airlift capability of
IAF, augmenting its fleet of Russian Antonov
AN-32 RE transport aircraft. The C295MW
will prove especially useful in India’s Northern
and North-Eastern sector and Andaman &
Nicobar Islands, as it will be able to operate
at forward locations which are not accessible

22 | September / October 2021 WWW .GBP .COM.SG/ ADT