C-295 AIRCRAFT - DEFENSE AND SECURITY
News: Explained | The C-295 and India’s aircraft industry
What's in the news?
● Prime
Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the C-295 transport
aircraft manufacturing facility in Vadodara to be set up by Airbus Defense and
Space and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL).
● This
is the first time a private sector
company would be manufacturing a full aircraft in the country.
● This is a huge step forward for India in the global aircraft manufacturing domain.
C-295 MW aircraft:
● The
C-295 MW is a transport aircraft of 5 to
10-tonne capacity which will replace the legacy Avro aircraft in the Indian
Air Force (IAF) procured in the 1960s.
● The
C-295 has very good fuel efficiency
and can take off and land from short as well as unprepared runways.
● It is also the first time that the C295 aircraft will be manufactured outside of Europe. The manufacturing unit will cater to the export of the transport aircraft and for additional orders by the IAF.
Backdrop:
● The
C295 was originally produced by a Spanish aircraft manufacturer named
Construcciones Aeronauticas SA. This company is now part of Airbus and the
aircraft’s manufacturing takes place at Airbus’s plant in Spain.
● In
September 2021, India signed a Rs 21,935 crore deal with Airbus Defense and
Space to procure 56 C295 aircraft to replace the IAF’s ageing Avro-748 planes,
which entered service in the early 1960s.
● Of
the 56 aircraft contracted, 16 will come in fly-away condition from Spain
between September 2023 and August 2025.
● The remaining 40 will be manufactured here to be delivered between September 2026 and 2031 at the rate of eight aircraft per year.
Technical specifications:
● The
C295MW is a transport aircraft with 5 to 10-tonne capacity and a maximum speed
of 480 kmph.
● It
has a rear ramp door for quick reaction
and para-dropping of troops and cargo.
● Short take-off and landing from semi-prepared surfaces are some other features.
In which terrains have the C295 operated across the
world?
● As
per Airbus, the C295 operates in the Brazilian jungles and Columbian mountains
in South America, the deserts of Algeria and Jordan in the middle east and the
cold climates of Poland and Finland in Europe.
● The
aircraft has also flown in military operations in Chad, Iraq and Afghanistan.
● The
aircraft can additionally be used for casualty or medical evacuation,
performing special missions, disaster response and maritime patrol duties.