IAF Tactical Transport Aircraft: C-295
The first C-295 medium tactical transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force landed in Vadodara, Gujarat on September 21, 2023, days after it was handed over to the Indian Air Force in the southern Spanish city of Seville.
The aircraft that was flown by Group Captain PS Negi, would be formally indicted into the Indian Air Force at a ceremony that will be held in Hindon Air Base, Ghaziabad, near Delhi-NCR on September 25, 2023. The aircraft took off from Spain on September 15, 2023, from Seville and made three stopovers in Malta, Egypt, and Bahrain before landing in Vadodara.
Remarks by Rajnath Singh
“The IAF’s First C-295 MW aircraft landed in Vadodara today. The aircraft would be handed over to the IAF in a formal ceremony on September 25, 2023, at the Hindon Air Force Station by the Honorable Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh”, the IAF shared a post on X.
Comments from IAF Chief
After receiving the delivery of the aircraft, the IAF Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari termed it a major milestone for India and said that the induction of the aircraft would improve the IAF’s tactical airlift capabilities. “It is a major milestone not only for the IAF but for the whole country. This is for two reasons first, for the IAF it will improve our tactical airlift capabilities and for the nation, it marks the beginning of a new era, a media agency reported and quoted the Air Chief as saying.
“ For the Atmanirbhar Bharat, after the first 16 aircraft rolled out of the plant, the 17th aircraft will be made in India henceforth. It is a big step for the Indian Aviation industry where we will be manufacturing the first military transport aircraft in the country,” he added.
On September 13, 2023, the IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari received India’s first C-295 Tactical transport aircraft, two years after India finished a Rs 21, 935 crore deal with Airbus Space and Defence to procure the jets to replace the ageing Avro-748 fleet.
Milestone in Military Aircraft Production
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 30, 2022inagurated the groundbreaking ceremony for the C-295 transport military aircraft manufacturing facility in Vadodara, Gujarat. This pioneering facility, the first of its kind in the Indian Private Sector is poised to manufacture C-295 aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) in collaboration with the Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus Defence and Space, in Spain.
The C-295 aircraft is renowned for its versatility and is employed for various purposes, including the tactical transport of up to 71 troops or 50 paratroopers as well as logistics operations in areas that are inaccessible to heavier aircraft. The first aircraft that will be indicted on September 25, 2023, will take part in the Indian Air Force Day parade that will be held in Prayagraj this year on October 8, 2023.
The IAF’s second C-295 is in final assembly at Seville and will be delivered in May 2024. The last of the 16 flyaway aircraft will be delivered to IAF by August 2025, while the first “Made in India” C-295 will roll out of the Vadodara facility in September 2026 and the remaining 39 by August 2031.
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