Global Aircraft major Airbus Defence and Space and India’s Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) of the Tata group have jointly offered the Airbus C295 medium transport to replace the Indian Air Force’s fleet of 56 Avro aircraft, an Airbus release said.
The partnership follows a detailed industrial assessment and stringent evaluation of the Indian private aerospace sector by Airbus Defence and Space.
In the event of C295 being selected, the first 16 aircraft will come in ‘fly-away’ condition from Airbus’s final assembly line. The remaining 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by Tata Advanced Systems in India. This includes undertaking structural assembly, final aircraft assembly, systems integration and testing, and management of the indigenous supply chain.
Airbus Defence and Space Executive Vice President Military Aircraft, Domingo Ureña Raso, said in the statement: “We firmly believe that, in the C295, we have clearly the best aircraft to replace the IAF Avro fleet.”
“The C295 is a superbly reliable and tough aircraft with outstanding economics which is proven in the most difficult operating conditions all over the world,” he further added.
S. Ramadorai, Chairman, Tata Advanced Systems, called this “a landmark for the development of aircraft manufacturing capability in India.”
Airbus Defence and Space is part of Europe based EADS group with 40,000 employees and revenues of approximately €14 billion per year. Tata Advanced Systems is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons, focussed on providing integrated solutions for Aerospace, Defence and Homeland Security.
A Defence Acquisition Council meeting in July has decided to open the contract to the private sector in partnership with global vendors through the Buy & Make route.
