Navy to have C-295 Aircrafts for Medium Range Maritime Surveillance
A book Navigating Dangerous Waters by one Army Officer Colonel Awadhesh Kumar says that Indian Navy must be provided with four Squadrons of Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance aircrafts with minimum of nine aircrafts each ie 36 aircrafts in total.
The book further goes on to recommend C 295, now being manufactured in India, as the most suitable aircraft for MRMR duties.
It seems that persons in right places have decided exactly the same and soon the Indian Navy will acquire 9x C-295 transport aircraft that are being manufactured in India in a joint venture between Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus. This will also give a major boost for Make in India in the defence sector. Even the Indian Coast Guard will be getting 6x C295 for similar and few other duties.
The proposals for the acquisition of these 15 aircraft are at an advanced stage in the defence ministry, for procurement of nine planes by the Navy while six would be given to the Indian Coast Guard.
These aircraft would be equipped with the required radars and sensors and turned into a maritime patrol plane by the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS). The Ministry of Defence has earmarked adequate funds to ensure that this acquisition process is all fast-tracked.
The Indian Air Force recently inducted the first C-295 transport aircraft manufactured in Spain. The first Squadron is being raised at Gandhinagar and will later move to most probably Agra. Thereafter 3 more Squadrons/ Flights will be raised from those aircrafts which are manufactured in India to replace all the Avros aircrafts.
Now in another book NABHAH SPARSHAM DEEPTAM, MAY THE FORCE BE WITH IAF again by Colonel Awadhesh Kumar, the author has recommended the replacement of all the nine squadrons of AN 32 fleet i.e. 108 aircrafts.
While the first 16xC295 will come from Spain in fly-away condition, the remaining 40 of the first will be produced in India at a Tata facility in Vadodara, Gujarat. The order from the Navy and Coast Guard, if approved by the government, will take the Tata Airbus order book to 71 from the existing 56.
Thereafter the AN32 replacement project will take the Tata Airbus Order book to 179 aircrafts.
