TSAMTO, January 11. According to Indian media, the Indian Defense Ministry intends to sign a contract with an estimated cost of $ 2.5 billion for the supply of medium-sized VTA aircraft to replace the outdated Avro-748 in service with the country's Air Force.
According to the Hindustan Times, the project to equip the Air Force with C-295 aircraft will be jointly implemented by Airbus Defense and Space and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) as part of the Make-in-India initiative.
According to official sources, in accordance with the contract, Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft in a fully finished form, and the remaining 40 machines will be assembled in India at TASL's enterprises.
In its annual report, the Ministry of Defense of India confirmed that the project for the purchase of 56 C-295 aircraft with the participation of the Indian manufacturer is currently at the stage of funding approval, and the contract is likely to be signed in the near future.
According to a source in the Ministry of Defense, the purchase is the first project that involves the participation of private companies and can become an impetus for the development of the national defense industry.
Although the C-295 is intended to replace the Avro-748, the new aircraft will also be able to be used for more complex tasks that are currently assigned to the AN-32.
The Avro-748 was adopted in the early 1960s and should have been replaced long ago. At the same time, in the future, the C-295 will probably replace the existing An-32.
It is expected that the first 16 aircraft will be delivered within two years after the signing of the contract, and 40 aircraft will be assembled in India within eight years.
As noted, the C-295 aircraft can take off/land on short unprepared runways and perform various tasks in difficult weather conditions.
In addition, it should be noted that according to the annual report of the Ministry of Defense of India, the contract for the purchase of 83 light combat aircraft LCA Mk.1A for the Indian Air Force is also likely to be signed with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) after approval by the Government's Safety Committee. The Ministry of Defense approved this purchase in March last year. The sale is expected to cost $ 380 billion. Rs. As a result, the total number of ordered Tejas aircraft will reach 123 units.