- BEL receives biggest Export Order ever
Bangalore. 22 November 2021. As part of its Offset commitments under the prestigious C295 aircraft programme of the Government of India, and in line with the ‘Make in India’ policy, Airbus Defence and Space has signed a contract with Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the manufacture and supply of Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) and Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS). This export order, worth 93.15 M USD, is the biggest received till date by BEL.
It may be recalled that India has formalised the acquisition of 56 Airbus C295 aircraft to replace the Indian Air Force (IAF) legacy AVRO fleet. It is the first ‘Make in India’ aerospace programme in the private sector, involving the full development of a complete industrial ecosystem: from the manufacture to assembly, test and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the complete lifecycle of the aircraft.
The contract was signed recently, by Vinay Kumar Katyal, Director (Bengaluru Complex), BEL, M V Raja Sekhar, Director (Research & Development), BEL, Dominique Arnal, Sr Vice President (Procurement, Supply Chain & Logistics/ Airbus Defence & Space), and Annika Mulder, Vice President (Procurement Structure, Materials & IT / Airbus Defence & Space). Jorge Tamarit Degenhardt, Venkat Katkuri, Thierry Cloutet and Rohit Srivastava (all from Airbus) and Manoj Jain, General Manager (Electronic Warfare & Avionics), BEL, Murali V, General Manager (Finance/Bengaluru Complex), BEL, Anil K Sogi, Additional General Manager (D&E/EW&A), BEL, and H P Srinivas Rao, Additional General Manager (International Marketing), BEL, were present.
Airbus Defence and Space is rigorously working towards the ‘Make in India’ dream of the Indian Government. “The contract with Airbus Defence and Space is the biggest export order received till date by BEL. We are very happy to be part of the C295 programme,” said Vinay Kumar Katyal, Director of Bengaluru Complex, BEL.
Under the contractual agreement, Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft in ‘fly-away’ condition from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain. The subsequent 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by the Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) in India as part of an industrial partnership between the two companies.
“We are happy to be associated with Airbus Defence and Space in manufacturing and delivering the Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) and Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS) for the prestigious C295 aircraft programme. We look forward to working with Airbus for more such programmes and challenges,” said Mrs Anandi Ramalingam`, Chairman & Managing Director, BEL.
With a proven capability of operating from short or unprepared airstrips, the C295 is used for tactical transport of up to 71 troops or 50 paratroopers, and for logistic operations to locations that are not accessible to current heavier aircraft. It can airdrop paratroops and loads, and also be used for casualty or medical evacuation (medevac), as demonstrated during the COVID-19 crisis, using either basic litters or mobile intensive care units (ICU) with life support equipment. The aircraft can perform special missions as well as disaster response and maritime patrol duties.
“We are proud to partner with Bharat Electronics Limited as per the provisions of the C295 programme. This partnership demonstrates Airbus’ commitment to support the development of the defence manufacturing ecosystem in India by working with the full spectrum of industrial partners from both the public and private sectors,” said Dominique Arnal, Sr Vice President (Procurement, Supply Chain & Logistics/ Airbus Defence and Space).
The IAF becomes the 35th C295 operator worldwide, with the programme reaching 278 aircraft, 200 of which are already in operation and have booked more than half a million flight-hours.
