New Delhi: The inauguration of the Vadodara facility, that will manufacture the C295 military transport aircraft in India, may be the perfect way to usher in Diwali 2024. This is because our aerospace sector desperately needed that indigenous uplift which will go a long way in giving wings to the country’s tactical military ambitions. The fact that we will produce around 52 aircrafts, including 40 for the Air Force and another 12 for the Navy and Coast Guard is good news for our defence ecosystem over all. The icing on the cake is the possibility of export, with additional orders already incoming. Even within the country, there is a big push for the Airbus C295 that will enhance India’s airlift capabilities to a great extent.
Over 200 such aircrafts are already in operation and they have keenly demonstrated high reliability with operators logging 500,000 flight hours across diverse environments. There’s no denying that the Indian defence aviation system would benefit from this novelty, especially while carrying out missions that include troop transport, patrolling of our maritime borders, general surveillance, reconnaissance, intelligence inputs and medical evacuation among many other things that the airbus is capable of.
The plant that has been set up by Tata Advanced Systems and in collaboration with Airbus Spain was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez today and is touted to be a gamechanger for India’s defence aspirations. The Make In India project is also considered timely by many experts.
India’s decaying Aerospace and need for self reliance
It is a peculiar problem that India faced. Although we are a nation that can boast of impressive science and technology capabilities to not just build satellites and launch vehicles, but we have the potential to even build IRBMs, contemporary fighter planes, nuclear weapons… the list is an exhaustive one. India is also counted as among the leading global powers in Information technology. Yet we are dependent so extensively on imports for defence equipment.
There have been strides made to ensure that the sector becomes more self reliant as we march ahead in the geopolitical dynamics that is being played out currently. The D&A industry is already going through an overhaul with an aim to become more independent in terms of manufacturing defence equipment for servicing our defence arms. Apart from the energising the manufacturing side, India is also engaging in tie-ups, joint ventures and technology transfers with multiple nation-partners.
However, what has really added wings to our pursuit is that we have also set our eyes on “export-oriented elements of the sector.” This is done with the purpose to showcase that India has both the potential as well as the capacity to provide world-class opportunities for established firms in the global market.
It is pertinent to add here that we already had the core strength (umpteen Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) that have supplied sub-component and components for aerospace DPSUs, HAL, DRDO and ISRO.
It is in this sense that the Airbus C295 being manufactured in India, is going to provide the fuel to our defence ambitions. It will further ensure that the domestic capability is being significantly enhanced, while also keeping a close tab on technology sharing and export of the aircrafts to those who place an order.
How will C295 augment our defence dreams?
The C295 project is being spearheaded by Tata Advanced Systems in partnership with Airbus Defence and Space SA. They have even identified 37 companies as sub-suppliers, and a huge chunk of the manufacture components will be made in India.
What the above goes on to show is that the country has the potential required to create an ecosystem in which like minded companies can thrive, and even transform into major players. They can take this a step forward and modernise with cutting-edge technologies to become suppliers for global aerospace companies. The ones who are willing to outsource products and components from India. The C295 can do just that.
Having been successfully deployed in war-torn and remote areas, including Chad, Iraq and Afghanistan, the airbus has proven efficiency across various climes and geographical complexities. This is good news for India as rescue operations within the country has also been marred with geographical challenges. The C295, due to its STOL characteristics, is also said to make our disaster relief operations a smooth affair. Both design-wise and also in terms of additional cockpit features, the airbus is poised to be a gamechanger for the country.
This will be India’s first private sector Final Assembly Line (FAL) with big players like Bharat Electronics Ltd. and Bharat Dynamics Ltd, along with other private micro, small, and medium enterprises also contributing to the project. India had both the potential as well as the attitude to amplify our defence requirements. However, with the C295 becoming a reality, we have embarked on a journey that is marked with a full 360 degree development of a complete ecosystem – manufacturing, assembly, testing, qualification, delivery and even maintenance of the aircraft. Truly, a remarkable moment for India and Indians.
