India's Military Aircraft Manufacturing Dream Takes Flight

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez inaugurated the Tata Aircraft Complex in Vadodara, Gujarat, marking a milestone for India's defense self-reliance with the production of India's first privately built military aircraft, the C-295. This manufacturing facility, part of India's Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, is the country's first private-sector Final Assembly Line (FAL) for military aircraft.

The project stems from a ₹21,935-crore agreement signed in 2021 between India's Ministry of Defence and Airbus Defence and Space, Spain, to replace the Indian Air Force's aging Avro-748 fleet with 56 C-295 transport aircraft. Under this deal, 16 aircraft will be fully assembled in Spain, while the remaining 40 will be assembled locally at the Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) facility in Vadodara. The first locally assembled C-295 is expected by September 2026, with all units delivered by August 2031. Considering the market for aircraft manufacturing indusry, it was worth $296.6 billion in 2021 and is forecasted to hit $476.4 billion by 2031, with a 5% annual growth rate from 2022 to 2031.

PM Modi emphasized the importance of the C-295 manufacturing facility in strengthening India-Spain relations and furthering the 'Make in India, Make for the World' mission, underscoring its role in India’s global manufacturing goals.