Gen Raja Subramani Reviews SWAC Readiness and C-295 Vadodara Line

Gen NS Raja Subramani visited Headquarters South Western Air Command to review operational readiness and preparedness.

Operational readiness at South Western Air Command

Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff said Gen Raja Subramani examined the Command's state of operational capability and the steps holding it at that level. South Western Air Command, based at Gandhinagar, runs air operations across India's western sector, and its squadrons sit close to the border with Pakistan.

Gen Raja Subramani at the C-295 line in Vadodara

From the air command Gen Raja Subramani moved to the Airbus C-295 assembly facility run by Tata Advanced Systems Limited at Vadodara, where he reviewed programmes covering capability development and indigenous defence manufacturing. Gen Raja Subramani took charge as the third Chief of Defence Staff on 31 May.

Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff carried details and images of the visit. See the original post on X.

Inside the C-295 transport programme

The C-295 is replacing the Indian Air Force's ageing Avro HS-748 transport fleet. Of the 56 aircraft contracted, 16 came from Airbus in flyaway condition from Spain, and the remaining 40 are being built in India by Tata Advanced Systems at the Vadodara line. The first India-built C-295 completed its maiden test flight from Vadodara earlier this month.

The Vadodara assembly line

The Vadodara plant is the first final assembly line for a military aircraft set up in India's private sector. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated it in October 2024. The 56-aircraft contract, signed with Airbus in September 2021, is worth about Rs 21,935 crore.

The Aatmanirbhar Bharat thread

Indigenous manufacturing ran through the second half of Gen Raja Subramani's review. The C-295 line is one piece of a wider drive to build at home instead of importing, the same drive behind the Make in India effort on the Rafale. Gen Raja Subramani has named self-reliance as a priority since taking charge on 31 May, and the Vadodara plant is among the programmes meant to deliver on Aatmanirbhar Bharat. India's defence production touched Rs 1.78 lakh crore in the last financial year.