Marking a major revamp in its transport fleet, the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday received the first C-295MW transport aircraft from Airbus. IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal (ACM) V.R. Chaudhari formally received symbolic keys to the first aircraft at the Airbus facility in Seville, Spain. The 56 C-295 aircraft will replace the ageing Avro aircraft.
“It’s a momentous day for us, the IAF in particular and the nation as a whole, to be receiving the first aircraft which marks the beginning of a new era... where we will be manufacturing a military aircraft in India,” ACM Chaudhari said speaking to media on the sidelines of the handover ceremony.
16 flyaway planes
As per the contract, 16 aircraft will come in fly-away condition from Seville while 40 will be manufactured by Airbus jointly with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL). Work is underway to set up the Final Assembly Line (FAL) at Vadodara in Gujarat and the first aircraft manufactured in India would be delivered in September 2026, as reported by The Hindu earlier.
“Today, Airbus handed over the 1st C295 for India in fly-away condition. It comes in transport configuration, equipped with an Indian Electronic Warfare Suite, and will replace the Indian Air Force’s ageing Avro-748 fleet. In the next few days, a joint IAF-Airbus crew will fly the aircraft from Seville to Delhi,” Airbus Defence and Space said on in a statement.
In September 2021, the Defence Ministry signed a ₹22,000 crore deal with Airbus and Space S.A., Spain for procurement of 56 C-295MW transport aircraft to replace the Avro aircraft in service with the IAF. The first 16 C295s of the 56 aircraft on order will be assembled at the San Pablo Sur site in Seville, Spain, with the second aircraft due to be delivered in May 2024 and the next 14 rolled out at a rate of one per month until August 2025, Airbus said.
“C295 aircraft deal is valued at around $2.5 billion, and it will significantly impact bilateral relations as well as economic ties between India and Spain,” Indian Envoy in Spain Dinesh K. Patnaik told news agency PTI at the ceremony.
Jean-Brice Dumont, Airbus’ Head of Military Air Systems noted that it was only two years ago that the contract was signed with India, the largest order in the history of the C295.
Indigenous Radar warning receiver and missile approach warning systems made by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and counter measure dispensing system made by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) have been certified and installed on the first aircraft.
First Indian unit in 2026
Production of components for the aircraft to be made in India has already started in the Main Constituent Assembly (MCA) facility in Hyderabad and these parts will be shipped to Vadovara FAL, which is expected to be operational by November 2024. The 56th and final aircraft is expected to be delivered to the IAF by August 2031, the statement said.
The C-295, with a carrying capacity of 9 tonnes, can carry up to 71 troops or 50 paratroopers, airdrop cargo, be used for medical evacuation and take off and land on short and unpaved runways, according to Airbus.
