Air Chief to Spain to receive first C-295 transport aircraft for Bharat

New Delhi: The chief of the Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, is scheduled to arrive in Spain on September 11 to receive the first C-295 transport plane made for Bharat. This aircraft is manufactured by global aircraft manufacturer ‘Airbus’ at a production facility in Seville. The Indian Air Force has signed a contract for 56 of these planes of which 16 would be made in Spain while the remaining 40 would be produced by the joint venture of Tata and Airbus in their facility in Vadodara, Gujarat.

The aircraft is the first of the 16 planes that our country has ordered. The formal induction into service is anticipated to take place at a ceremony in Hindan, scheduled for the last week of September. The Indian Air Force Chief is set to personally receive the inaugural Airbus aircraft from Seville, Spain, on Wednesday. Following the ceremony, he will return, aboard this very aircraft.

The Indian Defence Ministry and Airbus Defence and Space, Spain signed a contract for procurement of 56 C-295 aircraft for the Indian Air Force in September 2021. C-295MW aircraft is a transport aircraft of 5-10 ton capacity with contemporary technology that will replace the ageing Avro aircraft of IAF. The aircraft has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para dropping of troops and cargo.16 aircraft will be delivered in flyaway condition from Spain within 48 months of signing of the contract and forty aircraft will be manufactured in India by TATA Consortium within ten years of the signing of the contract.

This is the first project of its kind in which a military aircraft will be manufactured in our country by a private company. All 56 aircraft will be installed with an indigenous Electronic Warfare Suite. The project will give a boost to aerospace ecosystem in India wherein several MSMEs spread over the country will be involved in the manufacturing of parts of the aircraft. The programme will provide a major boost to the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Initiative’ of the Government as it offers a unique opportunity for the Private Sector in our country to enter into technology-intensive and highly competitive aviation Industry.