Tata, Airbus has grabbed the Rs 220 billion project to make C-295 aircraft in Gujarat. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that it had for the first time entrusted a private firm, Tata Advanced Systems (TASL), to manufacture an entire aircraft for the military. This contract is expected to support the development of India’s aerospace ecosystem, bringing 15,000 skilled direct jobs and 10,000 indirect positions over the coming decade, besides a large investment. In September 2021, the MoD had signed a Rs 219.35 billion contract with Airbus for 56 C-295 aircraft. Since they were to replace the Indian Air Force’s aged fleet of Avro HS-748 aircraft, this deal earned the sobriquet of ‘Avro replacement programme’. Contact: Ministry of Defence Tel: 011-2301 5444 E-mail: jse@nic.in Website: mod.gov.in