29-Oct;Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of a C-295MW transport aircraft manufacturing project for the Indian Air Force (IAF) at Vadodara in Gujarat tomorrow, October 30. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel and other dignitaries will attend the function.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 also. This state-of-the-art transport aircraft having a 5 to 10 tons capacity will strengthen the logistic capabilities of the IAF. The aircraft will replace the ageing Avro aircraft of IAF. According to the Defence Secretary Dr. Ajay Kumar, 16 aircraft will be delivered in flyaway condition and 40 will be manufactured in India by the Indian Aircraft Contractor, TATA Consortium of Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Tata Consultancy Services. In September 2021, Cabinet Committee on Security had approved the procurement of 56 C-295MW transport aircraft from Airbus Defence and Space S.A. The first 16 fly-away aircraft are scheduled to be received between September 2023 and August 2025. The first Made in India aircraft is expected in September 2026. The total cost of the project will be 21 thousand 935 crore rupees. All 56 transport aircraft will be fitted with an indigenous Electronic Warfare Suite. The transport aircraft manufacturing facility will generate several skilled and indirect jobs. It is estimated that 600 highly skilled jobs and more than three thousand indirect jobs will be generated.As per reports, the transport aircraft manufacturing project will prove to be another milestone in the country’s efforts towards self-reliance in the aviation sector. This transport aircraft manufacturing project will create an entirely new ecosystem for the aviation sector and enhance the country’s overall position in transport aircraft manufacturing by promoting Make in India initiative.
