Defense Ministry Booster ‘Make In India’ Initiative as they Sign a Contract with Airbus
Last updated on September 27th, 2021 at 08:58 am
– Leiden. Today India inked a contract of Rs 20,000 crore with Airbus Defense and Space to procure 56 C-295 transport aircraft. They will replace the Avro-748 planes of the IAF under a project that entails manufacturing of military aircraft in the country for the first time by a private company.
Under the agreement, Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft in ‘flyaway condition from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain. The subsequent 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) in India as part of an industrial partnership between the two companies.
Tata Trusts Chairman Ratan Tata hailed govt’s push for ‘Make for India’ as the Defense Ministry formalized the acquisition of 56 Airbus C295 aircraft to replace the previous fleet of planes.
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The remaining planes will be manufactured in India within 10 years of signing the contract. Ratan Tata tweeted that this joint agreement would create a domestic supply chain capability to international standards, which has never been undertaken before.
Congratulating this bold step, the Tata Group further adds that Airbus and the Indian Defense Ministry will be fully building this state-of-the-art multi-role aircraft in India in support of the Make-in-India thrust to bolster the country’s equity framework.
Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defense and Space mentioned that this contract will support the further development of India’s aerospace ecosystem, bringing investment and 15,000 skilled direct jobs and 10,000 indirect positions over the coming 10 years.
Adding to it Sukaran Singh, who is the Managing Director and CEO of TASL, described the sealing of the deal as a moment of pride for Tatas and a “milestone” for the Indian military manufacturing ecosystem. For the first time, an Indian private company will be wholly manufacturing an aircraft in India. This endeavour demonstrates Tata Advanced Systems’ capabilities as a defence manufacturer to build globally competitive complex platforms in India.
