India will buy more than a dozen maritime surveillance aircraft from aviation giant Airbus SE, costing an estimated 290 billion rupees ($3.5 billion), in a bid to boost its capabilities in the increasingly restive Indian Ocean region.
The medium-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft will “enhance the surveillance and interdiction capabilities of the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard over the country's vast maritime domain,” a defense ministry statement said.
The decision to expand India's fleet of surveillance aircraft was taken on Friday by an acquisition council headed by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
The Indian Navy will get nine of these aircraft, while the remaining six will go to the coast guard, said senior officials who asked not to be named as the discussions are private.
Four of the C-295 aircraft will be manufactured in Airbus' European facilities to ensure rapid availability of the platforms. The remaining planes will be made in India by the joint venture between Airbus and India's Tata Advanced Systems, the people said. The same aircraft was selected by the Indian Air Force to replace its aging transport fleet in 2021.
The maritime versions will be adapted for anti-submarine and surface warfare, and will be equipped with a sensor and weapons suit developed by India's Defense Research & Development Organisation, the people said.
India has deployed around a dozen warships, a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles and US-made long-range maritime surveillance aircraft in the Arabian Sea for anti-piracy operations. The addition of medium-range multi-role maritime surveillance aircraft will add more teeth to its operations in the Indian Ocean region.
In addition, the Indian Ministry of Defense has also approved the purchase of six new tanker aircraft for the Indian Air Force.