The first Airbus C295 for India flew in Seville, Spain, marking a major milestone toward its delivery in the second part of this year.
India purchased 56 C-295 transport aircraft from Airbus Defence and Space for about Rs 21,000 crore in September 2021 to replace the IAF’s aging Avro-748 planes.
Airbus will deliver 16 “fly-away” aircraft from its final assembly line in Seville by 2025, and Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) will manufacture and assemble the remaining 40 aircraft in India as part of an industrial partnership.
The tactical aircraft left Seville at 11:45 am local time on May 5 and arrived at 14:45 pm three hours later
The first Make in India aerospace program’s first flight is notable. Airbus Defence and Space Head of Military Air Systems Jean-Brice Dumont remarked, “With the Indian Air Force set to become the world’s largest C295 operator, this program exemplifies our commitment to improve the IAF’s operational capabilities.”
In October, Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the C295 aircraft production factory in Vadodara.
Airbus said the C295 final assembly line being built in Gujarat is the first concrete, large-scale private sector Make-in-India defence program that will unlock the industrial value chain of design, manufacturing, assembly, testing, delivery, and maintenance of the aircraft’s entire lifecycle.
”This plan will greatly assist towards establishing Indian enterprises’ indigenous skills for a ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’,” it stated.
The planemaker said the C295 is unrivaled in its weight and mission class with 280 orders from 39 operators.
The C295 is a superb aircraft used for tactical transport of up to 71 soldiers or 50 paratroopers and logistic missions to regions inaccessible to bigger aircraft.
The aircraft can airdrop paratroops, cargo, and casualties.
The aircraft may undertake special missions, disaster relief, and marine patrol.
After the mammoth agreement was finalized last year, Airbus stated the C295 programme will bring its full range of world-class aircraft manufacture and maintenance to India with its industrial partners.