Tata-Airbus sign Rs 20,000 crore deal for military aircraft

• Defence Ministry inked a nearly ₹20,000 crore contract with Airbus Defence and Space of Spain to procure 56 C-295 medium transport aircraft.
• Under the deal,16 aircraft will be delivered by the Airbus Defence and Space within 48 months of signing the contract.
• Remaining 40 planes will be manufactured in India by a consortium of the Airbus Defence and Space & Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) within 10 years of signing the contract.

C-295 MW Transport Aircraft

• Airbus C-295 MW aircraft is a new-generation tactical airlifter.
• It has a capacity of 5-10 tonnes with contemporary technology along with a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para dropping of troops and cargo.
• The all-weather C295 aircraft conducts multi-role operations worldwide along with combat missions in extreme circumstances, from desert to maritime environments, from extremely hot to extremely cold temperatures.
• The new generation aircraft are equipped with winglets, which allows the aircraft to transport heavy payloads over larger distances, resulting in savings of around 4% fuel consumption.
• With cabin dimensions of 12.7 m/41 ft 8 in (in length), the C-295 MW aircraft has the longest unobstructed cabin in its class.
• It can accommodate up to 71 persons, resulting in much higher personnel-carrying capability.

Employment for more than 6 thousand people

• This is the first time that a contract related to military aviation has been awarded to a private company in the country.
• This is expected to create more than 6,000 jobs in the country in the coming years.
• Along with this, state-of-the-art technology of aviation will arrive in the country.