Indian and Spanish PMs inaugurate military aircraft facility in India

NEW DELHI: Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi inaugurated a military transport manufacturing aircraft facility in Vadodara in the western Indian state of Gujarat on Monday.

It has been set up in a partnership between European aircraft-making consortium Airbus and India’s Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) to manufacture and assemble C295 medium tactical transport planes.

The project strengthens Spain’s industrial ties with India and shows the Spanish defence industry’s capabilities, Sanchez said.

He said the project will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, produce a new generation of highly-trained engineers, and develop an ecosystem for aviation businesses.

“This plant perfectly summarises the excellent state of bilateral relations between Spain and India,“ Sanchez said at the inauguration ceremony.

The Spanish prime minister arrived in Vadodara early Monday for a three-day India visit during which he will also travel to Mumbai.

Modi, in his speech, talked about the country’s defence production growth with the participation of private companies.

“We expanded private sector participation in defence manufacturing, made public sector units more efficient, restructured ordnance factories into seven major companies, and empowered DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) and HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited),“ the Indian prime minister said.

The new factory will support local manufacturing of 18,000 aircraft parts, creating opportunities for medium and small businesses across India, he said.

N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, the Tata Group’s holding company, sees the project as a milestone for the domestic aviation sector.

“It is a historic moment not only for the Tata Group but also for India,“ Chandrasekaran said, adding that the project “embraces the true vision” of self-reliance.

The Indian Air Force is acquiring 56 C-295s to replace its ageing Avros-748 fleet.

India formalised the acquisition plan in 2021, making it the biggest C-295 customer.

“The C-295 project is a huge accomplishment for the Indian private industry as it is the first project of its kind in which a complete military aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company.

“The project will give a big boost to India’s growing aerospace ecosystem,“ Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in a statement on Sunday.

The first 16 planes are being delivered to the Air Force in fly-away condition from the Airbus final assembly line in Seville, Spain, while the remaining 40 will be made at the Tata Aircraft Complex in Vadodara.

The Air Force has received two of the ordered aircraft, while the first India-made plane will roll out in September 2026.

The final aircraft is expected to be delivered to the IAF by August 2031, according to information on the Airbus website.