Airbus SAS plans to enhance its partnership with Tata Advanced Systems to expand India’s defense supply chain, as well as launch new products to meet the country’s defense needs, said Jorge Tamarit-Degenhardt, who leads the C295 transport aircraft program for Airbus. an interview
According to Tamarit, Airbus and Tata will invest in capacity development, including procurement of raw material and manufacturing of detailed parts or sub-components, as well as setting up sub-assembly and assembly facilities. The program will be in phases, he added, with an initial focus on supplying components such as metal and composite manufacturing technologies.
“We work with Tata and we train Tata. Then, it is up to them to decide whether they make or buy the components. Whenever they choose a supplier or MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises), they must satisfy certain requirements set by Airbus. So, we do the evaluation of the suppliers. We qualify them and whenever there is a shortage, we support them. In the first stage, most resources will be metal and composite manufacturing technologies.” The company will also prioritize electric harnesses in its efforts to strengthen India’s supply chain, he said without providing details of the investments. It aims to meet the demand for military transport. aircraft as India works towards replacing its aging military transport fleet.
In 2021, the Indian Air Force signed an agreement with Airbus for 56 C295 military transport aircraft, for ₹21,395 crores. About 16 of these aircraft will be acquired in ready-to-fly condition from the final assembly line at the San Pablo Sur site in Seville, Spain. The first aircraft was handed over by Airbus earlier this year in the presence of Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhuri. Around 40 C295s will be manufactured locally requiring investments from both Airbus and Tata Advanced Systems to establish the defense supply chain.
According to Tamarit, Airbus aims to utilize this supply chain not only for additional transport aircraft but also for other defense platforms and offerings, as the Indian Army requires around 100 aircraft. Airbus and Tata expect to deliver the first Indian-made C295 in 2026 from their final assembly plant in Vadodara, which will be operational by November 2024.
Production of components for the aircraft has begun at the main component assembly plant in Hyderabad, Airbus said. Other foreign defense companies, such as Brazil’s aviation major Embraer, are also exploring establishing manufacturing facilities in India. Mint had earlier reported that Embraer is in talks with the Tatas and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to manufacture defense transport aircraft in India.
Following the Centre’s push to encourage global defense companies to ‘Make in India’, there is a concerted effort to establish a robust domestic defense supply chain. New Delhi’s initiatives include publishing indigenization lists, speeding up domestic purchases in Defense Procurement Procedure 2020 and promoting defense industrialization. corridors These measures aim to facilitate the entry of foreign firms into the Indian market, support defense startups and boost research within the country. “Airbus and Tata partnership is an example of two giants coming together and building synergies to come up with something remarkable. and much needed for economic growth. Such partnerships bring capital from the global market and immense global experience and in turn get access to a qualified workforce, market, local trust of capability and delivery and a brand that has been synonymous with delivering business for the greater good,” said Brajesh Singh, president, Arthur D. Little India.
Tata Advanced Systems Limited did not comment on the matter.
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Updated: 26 Nov 2023, 23:10 IST