Tata Group To Set Up Final Assembly Line For The Airbus C295 Aircraft At Vadodara, Gujarat

The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, laid the foundation stone of the Final Assembly Line (FAL) for Tata Group’s India C295 Program at Vadodara, Gujarat. The unit will undertake aircraft manufacturing and assembly and will deliver a mission-ready aircraft in transport configuration, equipped with an indigenous Electronic Warfare Suite to the Indian Air Force (IAF). Hon’ble Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, Hon’ble Gujarat Governor, Shri Acharya Devvrat, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri. Bhupendra Patel, Hon’ble Minister for Civil Aviation Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia, Defence Secretary, Dr. Ajay Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Shri Rajiv Bansal and Chairman, Tata Sons, N. Chandrasekaran were among the dignitaries who were present on the occasion.

In September 2021, India formalized the acquisition of 56 Airbus C295 aircraft to replace the Indian Air Force (IAF) legacy AVRO fleet. It is the first ‘Make in India’ aerospace programme in the private sector, involving the development of a complete industrial ecosystem: from manufacture to assembly, test and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the complete lifecycle of the aircraft.

This will be the first time in the Indian private sector that an aircraft will be manufactured in-country, from parts to final assembly. The Program will lead to the development of a strong private industrial aerospace ecosystem in India and will create more than 15,000 skilled direct and indirect jobs across the aerospace eco-system, with more than 125 suppliers qualified on global quality standards across India.

Speaking on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone, N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons said, “With the set-up of the Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Vadodara, the Tata Group will now be able to take aluminum ingots at one end of the value stream and turn it into a Airbus C295 aircraft for the Indian Air Force. This is a historic moment not only for the Tata Group but for the country, as it embraces the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of being truly ‘Atmanirbhar’”.

“We are honoured to play a role in this historic moment for aerospace in India. Our Airbus teams are committed to supporting the modernisation of the Indian Air Force with the C295 programme, which will also contribute to the development of the private defense manufacturing sector in the country,” said Guillaume Faury, Airbus Chief Executive Officer. “The C295 programme, in partnership with the trusted Tata Group, is strongly aligned with the Government of India’s vision of an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India)."

The IAF became the 35th C295 operator worldwide. Up to date the programme counts 285 orders, with more than 200 aircraft delivered, 38 operators from 34 countries as well as 17 repeated orders. In 2021 the C295 achieved more than half a million flight-hours.

With a proven capability of operating from short or unprepared airstrips, the C295 is used for tactical transport of up to 71 troops or 50 paratroopers, and for logistic operations to locations that are not accessible to current heavier aircraft. It can airdrop paratroops and loads and can also be used for casualty or medical evacuation. The aircraft can perform special missions as well as disaster response and maritime patrol duties.

About Tata Advanced Systems Limited

Tata Advanced Systems Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons, is focused on providing integrated solutions for Aerospace, Defence and Homeland Security. In less than a decade, Tata Advanced Systems has become a significant player in the global aerospace market, becoming the premier manufacturing partner for global OEMs as well as the Ministry of Defence, Government of India.. It has capabilities throughout the entire aerospace and defense systems value chain from design to full assembly of aircraft and weapon systems, and is well positioned in areas that include missiles, radars, unmanned aerial systems, command and control systems, optronics and homeland security.

About the Tata group:

Founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1868, the Tata group is a global enterprise, headquartered in India, comprising 30 companies across ten verticals. The group operates in more than 100 countries across six continents, with a mission 'To improve the quality of life of the communities we serve globally, through long-term stakeholder value creation based on Leadership with Trust’.

Tata Sons is the principal investment holding company and promoter of Tata companies. Sixty-six percent of the equity share capital of Tata Sons is held by philanthropic trusts, which support education, health, livelihood generation, and art and culture. In 2020-21, the revenue of Tata companies, taken together, was $103 billion (INR 7.7 trillion). These companies collectively employ over 800,000 people. Each Tata company or enterprise operates independently under the guidance and supervision of its own board of directors. There are 29 publicly-listed Tata enterprises with a combined market capitalisation of $314 billion (INR 23.4 trillion) as on December 31, 2021. Companies include Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Chemicals, Tata Consumer Products, Titan, Tata Capital, Tata Power, Tata Communications, Indian Hotels, Tata Digital and Tata Electronics.

About the Airbus C295

The C295 is the most versatile and efficient tactical transport aircraft. It is robust and reliable but also highly versatile in terms of the number of different missions it can perform. The C295 conducts multi-role operations worldwide under all weather conditions. It is fully certified and routinely operates day and night in combat missions in all weather extremes, from desert to maritime environments, from extremely hot to extremely cold temperatures.