India Inks An Historic C-295 Military Aircraft Deal With Airbus

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) inked an estimated ₹22,000-crore (nearly $3 billion) deal with Spain's Airbus Defence and Space to procure 56 'C-295' medium transport aircraft which will replace the aging Avro-748 planes of the Indian Air Force that were procured in the 1960s. All 56 aircraft will be installed with the indigenous Electronic Warfare Suite.  The contract was signed two weeks after it was cleared by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet Committee on Security.

Under the deal, 16 aircraft will be delivered in a flyaway condition by the Airbus Defence and Space of Spain within 48 months of signing the contract. The remaining 40 planes will be manufactured in India by a consortium of the Airbus Defence and Space and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) within 10 years of signing the contract. The aircraft was previously produced by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA, a Spanish aircraft manufacturer that is now part of Airbus Defence and Space). 

The Chairman of Tata Trusts, Ratan Tata, congratulated Airbus Defence, Tata Advanced Systems Limited and the Defence Ministry on the inking of the historic contract. In a signed statement posted on Twitter, Mr. Tata said the clearance of the joint project between Airbus Defence and Tata Advanced Systems to build the aircraft is a "great step" forward in the opening up of the aviation and avionics projects in India.

The project will provide an immense bolster to the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ that offers a unique opportunity for the Indian private sector to enter into the technology-intensive and highly competitive aviation industry. The aircraft will give a major boost to the tactical airlift capability of IAF, especially in the Northern and North-Eastern sectors and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Airbus C-295 Capabilities

The Airbus C295 is a new-generation tactical airlifter in the light and medium segment and is highly versatile in terms of the number of different missions it can perform.

1. The C-295MW is a transport aircraft of 5-10 tonne capacity and has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para dropping of troops and cargo. 

2. It is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW127 engines, part of the PW100 family. All 56 aircraft will be installed with the indigenous Electronic Warfare Suite.

3. The aircraft can perform and operate in semi-prepared strips 

4. FITS for unique patrol and surveillance capabilities that integrates, controls and displays the mission sensors.

5. Equipped with Collins Aerospace Pro-Line Fusion®, Intuitive Human Machine Interface (HMI) with touchscreen controls and CARP/HARP computational aids (for precision airdrops).

Specifications

Range: 2,000 nm (with 6.0 t of payload)

Flight hours: Up to 11 hours in the air

Load capacity: 71 troops, 50 paratroopers with cargo

Cabin dimensions: 12.7 m/41 ft 8 in (in length)

Cargo load: 5 Palletised cargo (88in* 108in standard HCU-6E pallets)

Cockpit: Glass cockpit with digital avionics with four large active-matrix liquid crystal displays (6in* 8in), fully compatible with night vision goggles.

The C295 has a proven track record for defense forces across the globe and conducts multi-role operations worldwide under all weather conditions. The Indian Air Force is the 35th C-295 operator worldwide and will become the biggest operator. The program has 278 aircraft worldwide with 200 in operation and has clocked half a million flight hours. The aircraft has received orders from military and civil operators all over the world, from Canada and Egypt to Spain, Czech Republic, and Indonesia. 

Egyptian Air Force Airbus C-295

The Airbus C295 is known for its versatility and hence many variants are being developed basis the mission requirements. Most of the different variants can easily be re-configured to a transport version and back, due to the palletized modular mission systems. The different variants are Armed/Ground ISR, Water Bomber, MPA/ASW, SIGINT, AEW, Air-to-air refueling, VIP Transport, Medical Evacuation, Disaster Response, Tactical Transport, and Paratroop.

Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira, FAB) Airbus C-295

The project would give a boost to the aerospace ecosystem in India wherein several Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises spread over the country would be involved in the manufacturing of parts of the aircraft. Further, a large number of detail parts, sub-assemblies, and major component assemblies of aerostructure were scheduled to be manufactured in India. The program would act as a catalyst in employment generation in the aerospace ecosystem of the country and be expected to generate 600 highly skilled jobs directly, over 3,000 indirect jobs, and an additional 3,000 medium-skill employment opportunities.

Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space said, “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.”

Canadian Airbus C-295 For Rescue Mission

All the suppliers of Tata Consortium who will be involved in the development of specialized infrastructure in form of hangars, buildings, aprons, and taxiway. A ‘D’ Level servicing facility (MRO) for C-295MW aircraft is scheduled to be set up in India and it will act as a regional MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) hub for various variants of C-295 aircraft.

Czech Air Force C-295