Hyderabad: In the first ‘Make in India’ Aerospace Programme in the private sector, India has finalised the acquisition of 56 Airbus aircraft to replace the AVRO Fleet on Friday.
The program involves the full development of a complete industrial ecosystem which was nonexistent up till now.
The aerospace program is an industrial partnership agreement between Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) and AirBus, where the multinational aerospace corporation will deliver the first 16 aircraft in ‘fly-away’ condition from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain. The subsequent 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by the Tata Advanced Systems (TASL).
“This endeavour demonstrates Tata Advanced Systems’ capabilities as a defence manufacturer to build globally competitive complex platforms in India,” Sukaran Singh, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Tata Advanced Systems Limited, said.
The aircraft can perform special missions as well as disaster response and maritime patrol duties. With a proven capability of operating from short or unprepared airstrips, the C295 is used for tactical transport and for logistic operations to locations that are not accessible to current heavier aircraft. It can also be used for casualty or medical evacuation (medevac), as demonstrated during the COVID-19 crisis.