Tata-Airbus C295 military aircraft Factory in Gujrat.
In a Bid to boost our government's ambitious 'Make in India' programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Tata-Airbus facility to manufacture C295 military transport planes in Gujarat on Sunday
According to Indian Express: "As a tactical transport aircraft, the C295 can carry troops and logistical supplies from main airfields to forward operating airfields of the country. It can also operate on short unprepared airstrips as it is capable of Short Take-off and Landing (STOL)."
In my opinion, this is a significant step to strengthen our army and airforce, which will further increase their superiority in adverse situations like a two-front war.
Considering a future possibilty of full scale war, and a constant tension along the LAC, I firmly believe that this is a clear message to everyone outside our country that we will stop at no cost to build our military. The C295 was originally produced by a Spanish aircraft manufacturer named Construccionaes Aeronauticcas SA. This company is now part of Airbus and the aircraft’s manufacturing takes place at Airbus’s plant in Spain. In September 2021, India signed a Rs 21,935 crore deal with Airbus Defence and Space to procure 56 C295 aircraft to replace the IAF’s ageing Avro-748 planes, which entered service in the early 1960s. Under the agreement, the company will deliver 16 aircrafts in 'fly-away' condition, which means one can start operating the aircraft as soon as he/she recieves it. The rest will be manufactured here in India by Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. (TASL). The final delivery of all aircrafts will be completed by 2031.
Apart from helping in wars, this aircraft can also be used for casualty or medical evacuation, performing special missions, disaster response and maritime patrol duties. Thus one cannot rule out the fact that setting up of this factory will be, no doubt, very beneficial for India.