Flying High: India's First Private Military Aircraft Assembly

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spanish President Pedro Sanchez inaugurated India's first private sector military aircraft manufacturing facility by Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Airbus. The facility aims to bolster the 'Make in India' initiative while fostering India-Spain relations and hopes to manufacture civil aircraft in future.

In a significant step for India's defense sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spanish President Pedro Sanchez inaugurated the Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL)-Airbus facility in India on Monday. This milestone marks the first private sector final assembly line for military aircraft in the country.

The facility, located in Vadodara, will manufacture the C-295 military aircraft, a critical component of India's defense infrastructure. Prime Minister Modi emphasized that this initiative not only strengthens India-Spain relations but also propels the 'Make in India, Make for the World' mission forward.

With the first aircraft expected to roll off the assembly line in 2026, the project signifies a deep industrial partnership between India and Spain. The agreement, initiated in September 2021, outlined that Airbus would deliver the first 16 aircraft from Spain, followed by 40 manufactured in India as part of this collaboration.

(With inputs from agencies.)