On October 30, 2022, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of C-295 transport aircraft manufacturing facility in Vadodara. The C-295 aircraft for the IAF will be manufactured through collaboration between Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Airbus Defence and Space S.A., Spain. This is the first project of its kind in which a military aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company. The aircraft can be used for civilian purposes as well. Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that today we have taken a big step in the direction of making India the manufacturing hub of the world. He said India is making fighter jets, tanks, submarines, medicines, vaccines, electronic gadgets, mobile phones, and cars that are popular in many countries. The Prime Minister remarked that India is moving forward with the mantra of ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ and now it is becoming a huge manufacturer of transport aircraft.
Sixteen aircraft will be delivered in flyaway condition between September 2023 and August 2025. Remaining 40 will be manufactured in India. The C-295 is a transport aircraft of 5-10 tonne capacity with contemporary technology that will replace the ageing Avro aircraft of IAF. The aircraft, with a flight endurance of up to 11 hours, can carry out multi-role operations under all weather conditions.
