Marking a big milestone in India's defense modernisation and self-reliance initiative, Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh declared that Airbus Defence and Space has completed the successful delivery of all 16 C-295M transport aircraft from its plant at Seville, Spain, under a ₹21,935-crore contract signed in September 2021.
Singh further disclosed that the first 'Make in India' C-295M will roll out from Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL)'s Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Vadodara, Gujarat, by August-September 2026, with the factory targeting to manufacture 8-12 planes a year.
The delivery of the 16 fly-away aircraft, two months before the August 2025 deadline, is a testament to Airbus's commitment to the IAF's modernization mission. The aircraft to replace the Avro-748 fleet were delivered between September 2023 and June 2025, with the last unit being accepted in Seville by Indian Ambassador to Spain Dinesh K. Patnaik accompanied by senior IAF officials. Six aircraft are currently operational in the IAF's No. 11 Squadron (Charging Rhinos) in Vadodara, greatly boosting tactical airlift, troop transport, and logistics operations in India's varied terrain.
The C-295M, a multi-role turboprop-capacity aircraft with a 5-10-tonne weight powered by Pratt & Whitney PW127G engines, carries as many as 71 troops or 48 paratroopers, carries out airdrops, conducts medical evacuations, and can take off from short unprepared runways as short as 2,200 feet. Equipped with an indigenous electronic warfare suite created by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), the aircraft improves operational flexibility as it also replaces the aging Soviet-era An-32 fleet inducted during the 1980s.
The Vadodara FAL, which was inaugurated in October 2024 by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is India's first private sector facility for the manufacturing of military aircraft. Run by TASL in partnership with Airbus, the facility represents the "Make in India" policy, combining component manufacturing, assembly, testing, and delivery. In operation since November 2024, the complex has started manufacturing components at TASL's Main Constituent Assembly (MCA) unit in Hyderabad, of which 13,000 out of 14,000 parts per aircraft are being made locally from raw materials.
IAF Chief Singh underlined that the Vadodara FAL will take charge of producing the remaining 40 C-295M aircraft. The first Indian-built aircraft is due by August-September 2026, with deliveries of 8-12 planes per year continuing till August 2031. The factory uses Airbus's Pulse Line manufacturing system, which replicates its Seville facility, to produce highest quality with 78% local content for the initial five aircraft, going up to 96% for the balance 35. Engines and avionics, both to be acquired from Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace, are the main exceptions. This staged indigenization positions India in a unique category of countries with a private-sector military plane manufacturing capability.
The C-295M program has also created considerable employment, with the creation of more than 600 high-skill jobs, 3,000 indirect jobs, and 3,000 medium-skill jobs, representing over 42.5 lakh man-hours. Partnerships with 37 Indian firms, comprising 33 MSMEs, enhance the indigenous aerospace supply chain. A full-motion simulator at the Airbus Agra-based training center, functional since late 2024, is training IAF pilots and technicians, with six pilots and 20 maintenance crew already certified in Seville.
The program also provides for export opportunities, with Airbus having the authority to sell Vadodara-manufactured C-295s to civil operators as well as approved overseas customers following IAF deliveries, in support of the "Make in India, Make for the World" concept. 15 more C-295s are under discussion for the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, with 12 to be manufactured in Vadodara, further enhancing India's aerospace industrial capabilities.
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