India’s initial C295 aircraft has accomplished its maiden voyage, signifying a notable step forward in its delivery scheduled for the second half of 2023. The tactical airplane, which will be operated by the Indian Air Force, departed from Seville, Spain, at 11:45 am local time on May 5th and landed three hours later at 2:45 pm.
First Airbus C295 for India – Highlights
Airbus Defence & Space’s Head of Military Air Systems, Jean-Brice Dumont, expressed his happiness with the successful first flight of the first C295 aircraft for India. He sees this as a huge achievement for the initial Make in India aerospace programme. The Indian Air Force is on track to become the world’s largest customer of the C295, and Dumont feels that this programme illustrates the IAF’s dedication to enhancing operational capabilities.
In September 2021, India acquired 56 C295 aircraft to replace the legacy AVRO fleet. The first 16 planes will be built in Seville, Spain, and delivered in ‘fly-away’ condition, while the remaining 40 planes will be built and assembled in India as part of a collaborative industrial program by Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. (TASL). The development of the C295 Final Assembly Line in Gujarat is the first actual and larger private sector Make-in-India defense program, considerably contributing to Indian firms’ indigenous capacities towards self-sufficiency.
The global C295 effort has attracted 280 orders from 39 operators, establishing it as a better aircraft in terms of weight and task classification.
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