Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (center left) and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez (center right) greet people from a vehicle in Vadodara, India, October 28. (AP)

VADODARA, India, Oct 28 (AP): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez inaugurated India’s first private military aircraft factory on Monday, boosting New Delhi’s ambitions to expand local manufacturing in its defense and aerospace industries. Sanchez was welcomed to the country with a roadshow in the city of Vadodara in Gujarat state, where hundreds of people applauded and waved banners.

The two leaders then launched the Tata Aircraft Complex, the industrial hub which will produce the Airbus C-295 military transport aircraft in collaboration with Airbus Spain and which will be deployed by the Indian Air Force. Sanchez said the project was a triumph of Modi’s vision “to transform India into an industrial powerhouse and a magnet for investment and business-to-business collaboration.”

“This partnership between Airbus and Tata will contribute to the progress of the Indian aerospace industry and open new doors for other European companies to enter,” he added. “This new aerospace factory will boost new skills and industries in India,” he added. » Modi said, adding that the country was now supplying parts to the world’s largest aviation companies.

Tata conglomerate Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran hailed the day as a historic day for the country’s defense sector and thanked late Ratan Tata, the industrialist and former president who passed away earlier this month, for conceiving the idea more than ten years ago. As part of a $2.5 billion deal signed in 2021, Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain – six of which have already been delivered to the military of Indian air.

Tata Advanced Systems Ltd will produce 40 of these aircraft at the Vadodara factory, which is expected to roll out India’s first C-295 aircraft in 2026. The aircraft can carry up to 71 soldiers or 50 paratroopers and will be able to access remote locations. It can also be used for medical evacuations and to assist in disaster response and maritime patrol duties.

Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has pledged to make India a global manufacturing hub, particularly in infrastructure, pharmaceuticals and defense. As part of an effort to modernize and reform military equipment, the government has sought to expand the private defense manufacturing sector, a space previously occupied only by government-run organizations, and has relaxed regulations on defense manufacturing. foreign direct investment in an attempt to encourage businesses to establish themselves. themselves in India.