Airbus and Tata inaugurate C295 final assembly line in India
In what Airbus terms “a major milestone for India’s aerospace and defence industry,” Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and the European manufacturer have inaugurated the Airbus C295 final assembly line in Vadodara, Gujarat – with the facility to deliver 40 of the 56 Indian Air Force’s C295s by 2031.
The inauguration of the new line marks the first time the private sector has set up an aircraft final assembly line in India, something chairman of Tata Sons N. Chandrasekaran explained will “manufacturer the nation’s first private defence aircraft from the ground up” and “significantly enhance both defence and advance manufacturing capacities”.
Three years after the Indian Air Force formalised the acquisition of 56 C295s to replace its legacy fleet, the opening of the Vadodara line represents an ongoing partnership in Airbus-Tata ‘Make In India’ project and provides a significant boost to the Government of India’s ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ (‘self-reliant India’) programme.
“Aligned to this vision, this FAL will propel the advancement of the aerospace industrial ecosystem in the country, unlocking the potential for cutting-edge design, component manufacturing, aircraft assembly and services capabilities across the Indian value chain,” commented Michael Schoelhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space.
40 units of Airbus’ ‘robust, reliable and highly versatile tactical transport’ aircraft will be manufactured and assembled in partnership with TASL at the facility, with the ‘Make in India’ programme providing more than 85% of the structural and final assembly. 13,000 detail parts will also be manufactured onsite (drawing on expertise from 37 India-based suppliers) for which 21 special processes have been certified,
The remaining 16 delivered C295s will be supplied complete from Airbus’ existing final assembly line in Seville, Spain. Six aircraft from the order have been delivered to date.
