In his three day visit to Gujarat and Rajasthan from 30 October to 1 November, PM Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of C-295 Aircraft Manufacturing Facility at Vadodara today (30 October).

This aircraft manufacturing facility would be the first such plant in the private sector in India.

It will be utilised for manufacturing of 40 C-295 aircrafts for the Indian Air Force (IAF), through collaboration between Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Airbus Defence and Space.

The Cabinet Committee on Security had approved the procurement of 56 C-295 transport aircraft for the IAF from Airbus under a deal expected to be worth $2.5 billion in September last year.

Of the 56 C-295s ordered, the first 16 will be built by Airbus Defence & Space at its facility in Seville in southern Spain.

The remaining 40 aircraft will be built at the new Tata-Airbus facility. Over the next few years, India is likely to buy more of these aircraft, which will also be built at the same facility. The Tata-Airbus facility at Vadodara will also build aircraft for exports, officials have said.

For the IAF, C-295s will come as replacements for its ageing Avro HS748 transport aircraft.

The C-295 is a tactical transport aircraft capable of lifting 6 tonnes — it can carry five cargo pallets or 71 troops or 50 paratroopers. The rear ramp door of the aircraft can be used for quick reaction and para dropping of troops and cargo.

It has been designed to provide low-level flight characteristics for tactical missions, flying at speeds down to 110 knots.

The aircraft can land on and take off from short, unprepared airstrips not accessible to heavier transport aircraft, a feature which makes it useful for operations from Advanced Landing Grounds along India’s China frontier.