Tata Advanced Systems, Airbus inaugurate C295 final assembly line in India

Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. (TASL, New Delhi, India) and Airbus (Toulouse, France) have inaugurated the final assembly line (FAL) complex for the Airbus C295 aircraft in Vadodara, Gujarat in India. TASL and Airbus are partnering for the “Make in India” project to deliver 56 C295 aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF). 

The C295 aircraft features six-bladed composite propellers (Hamilton Standard, Windsor Locks, Conn., U.S.), as well as winglet and winglet tabs assembled via a one-shot approach versus conventional rib production methods. Its wingbox development is connected to the Clean Sky 2 OUTCOME project — replacing autoclave-cured thermoset composite construction with thermoplastic composites via an energy-efficient out-of-autoclave, one-shot process. In 2022, a C295 Flight Test Bed 2 (FTB2) technology demonstrator underwent a flight campaign to test a composite semi-morphing wing achieved through the IIAMS project.

Airbus reports that this is the first example of the private sector setting up an aircraft FAL in India. The inauguration comes 3 years after the IAF formalized the acquisition of 56 Airbus C295 aircraft to replace its legacy AVRO fleet. As per the contract, 40 units will be manufactured and assembled in partnership with TASL at this FAL, while 16 will be delivered to the IAF in “fly-away” condition from Airbus’ final assembly line in Seville, Spain. To date, a total of six aircraft have already been delivered.

“The inauguration of this FAL is a significant milestone in India’s journey towards self-reliance in defense manufacturing,” notes Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space. “The C295 India program demonstrates Airbus’ commitment to supporting India’s vision of ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ in defense manufacturing. Aligned to this vision, this FAL will propel the advancement of the aerospace industrial ecosystem in the country, unlocking the potential for cutting-edge design, component manufacturing, aircraft assembly and services capabilities across the Indian value chain.”

The FAL will integrate manufacturing of detail parts and related tooling, subassemblies, major component assemblies, tools, jigs and testers. The production of C295 aircraft components have already started in the Main Component Assembly (MCA) facility in Hyderabad. Parts for the first C295 aircraft to be made in India have been shipped to the Vadodara FAL, where the aircraft will be assembled and then delivered to the IAF. 

The first “Make in India” C295 will roll out of the Vadodara FAL in September 2026, and will ramp up to deliver 40 aircraft to the IAF by August 2031, as required by the IAF contract.

India has become the largest customer for the C295, with the acquisition of 56 aircraft. The C295 “Make in India” program will produce more than 85% structural and final assembly of 40 aircraft along with the manufacturing of 13,000 detail parts in India, for which 21 special processes have been certified and 37 India-based suppliers, both from the private and public sectors, have been onboarded.

For Airbus, India is a strategic resource hub where the company is expanding its industrial footprint with aircraft assembly, component manufacturing, engineering design and development, MRO support, pilot and maintenance training as well as academic collaboration to foster human capital.