As part of a 56-aircraft contract for the Indian Air Force, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) will acquire six C-295 cargo aircraft that will be assembled in India by the Tata Group and Airbus. The Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), Bengaluru, will be entrusted with modifying the C-295 into a Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft (MMMA) derivative with C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) capabilities for the ICG.
C-295 MMMA’s major function will be to monitor India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and aid in Search and Rescue Missions. Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar would be incorporated into the MMMA to detect and track air and sea surface targets.
Similar sensors were developed for Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
On October 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially set the foundation for the Tata-Airbus consortium’s C295 aircraft production facility in Vadodara, Gujarat, which will produce transport planes for the Indian Air Force (IAF). According to PTI, it is the first project of its sort that will see an Indian commercial enterprise produce a military aircraft. The C295 aircraft will also be produced outside of Europe for the first time. The manufacturing facility will fulfil additional orders from the IAF as well as the export of transport aircraft.
The C295’s operational duties and technical specs are listed below.
Aircraft manufacturing facility in Vadodara is India's giant leap towards becoming self-reliant in aviation sector. https://t.co/0IL0aIS68r
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 30, 2022
Who produces the C295 aircraft and where?
Construccionaes Aeronauticcas SA, a Spanish aircraft builder, was the company that first created the C295. Airbus now owns this company, and its Spanish production facility is where the aircraft are made. In September 2021, India and Airbus Defence and Space agreed to a Rs 21,935 crore purchase agreement for 56 C295 aircraft to replace the IAF’s ageing Avro-748 aircraft, which went into service in the early 1960s.
According to the contract, Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft in “fly-away” condition from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain, within four years, while Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) would produce the remaining 40 aircraft in India as part of a joint venture between the two businesses. The IAF is expected to receive the 16 fly-away aircraft between September 2023 and August 2025. The first aircraft made in India will leave the production plant in September 2026, while the remaining 39 must be made by August 2031.
Airbus Defence and Space would be permitted to sell the aircraft made in India to civil operators and export to nations that have been approved by the Government of India after the delivery of 56 aircraft to the IAF is complete.
What are the C295 aircraft’s technical specifications?
A transport aircraft with a capacity of 5 to 10 tonnes and a top speed of 480 kmph, the C295MW. It has a rear ramp door for quick response for cargo and troop para-dropping. Other capabilities include quick takeoffs and landings on semi-prepared surfaces.
According to Airbus’ published technical specs, the cabin of the aircraft measures 12.7 metres, or 41 feet and 8 inches. According to the manufacturer, the 71-seat aircraft features the longest unobstructed cabin in its class. Additionally, the manufacturer asserts that C295’s direct off-loading through the back ramp allows it to carry more freight than its rivals.
The indigenous electronic warfare suite will be built by Bharat Electronics Ltd. and Bharat Dynamics Limited and installed on all 56 aircraft. According to Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar, 96% of the work that Airbus undertakes in Spain to construct the plane would be completed at the production facility in Vadodara, making the plane’s indigenous content the greatest ever in India.
What types of terrains has the C295 aircraft been used on throughout the world?
According to Airbus, the C295 can fly across the deserts of Algeria and Jordan in the middle east, the rainforests of Brazil and the mountains of Columbia in South America, and the chilly temperatures of Poland and Finland in Europe. Additionally, the aircraft has participated in combat operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Chad.
What functions can the C295 aircraft carry out?
The C295 can transport personnel and logistical supplies between the nation’s major airfields and forward operational airfields as a tactical transport aircraft. Due to its ability to perform short takeoffs and landings, it may also be used on short, ill-prepared airstrips (STOL). According to Airbus, it can fly low-level operations for tactical missions while travelling at a slow speed of 110 knots from tiny airstrips that are only 2,200 feet long.
The aircraft can also be employed for special missions, disaster response, maritime patrol work, casualty or medical evacuation, and other tasks.