A Portuguese Air Force C-295, taking off in foggy weather
By Vikas Gupta
March 3, 2022
Building on the signing last September of a $2.5 billion contract with the Ministry of Defense (MoD) for 56 Airbus C-295 medium-lift aircraft, European aerospace major Airbus said Wednesday that she “will showcase its full suite of defense and space capabilities at DefExpo 2022.”
DefExpo 2022, billed as India’s flagship defense expo, will be held from March 10-14 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Success has not come easily to Airbus in the Indian market. He participated in severalIndian military aircraft tenders, and even won some, only to see them slip away at the last moment.
The competitions aborted by the Indian Ministry of Defense at the last minute include two in-flight tanker competitions, in which Airbus fielded the A-330 Multi-Role Transport Aircraft (MRTT). In addition, it participated in three light utility helicopter tenders, fielding the H135M and the AS565 Panther. Finally, he unsuccessfully deployed the H225M Caracal in a fierce Indian campaign to purchase naval multirole helicopters.
“Models of the multi-purpose A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft as well as AS565 MBe (Panther) and H225M multirole helicopters will find pride of place among other products and services on the Airbus stand,” said Airbus.
“The company, which has a strong heritage of collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and its commercial arm NewSpace India Ltd., will also showcase its extensive portfolio of space systems, including its range of EO satellites that can meet to the requirements of the Indian Armed Forces,” said Airbus.
A statement from the company says it will display a model of the Eurostar 3000 satellite and an interactive digital presentation of the S950 optics and S850 radar at Gandhinagar.
Airbus says it not only actively supports Indian military’s modernization goals, but is committed to manufacturing in India to meet the ambition of an ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) .
“Airbus’ commitment to building a strong indigenous military-industrial complex is demonstrated by the offer to establish full Panther helicopter production capacity in India in partnership with the Mahindra Group,” the company said. .
For now, Airbus is relishing the success of the C-295’s victory. This requires Airbus to deliver the first 16 planes in “flyable” condition from its assembly line in Seville, Spain. The remaining 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled in India by Tata Advanced Systems (TASL), as part of an industrial partnership between Airbus and TASL.
It will be the first time that a private Indian company will manufacture an aircraft entirely in India.
The C-295, which replaces the HS-748 Avro, can carry up to 71 soldiers or 50 paratroopers with combat loads. The aircraft can transport supplies to places inaccessible to IAF heavy lift aircraft, such as the C-17 Globemaster III, C-130J Super Hercules or Ilyushin 76.
The IAF will become the 35andoperator of the C-295 worldwide. Airbus has secured orders worldwide for 278 of these aircraft, of which 200 are already in operation. The C-295 has logged over half a million flight hours.
“Our C-295 program is a shining example of the transformational partnership and collaboration between the private and public sectors as well as MSMEs. We hope to replicate this win-win model to unlock the full value chain of helicopter manufacturing by India,” said Rémi Maillard, President and CEO, Airbus India and South Asia.
