New Delhi: Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Wednesday received the first C-295 transport aircraft made for India by global aircraft manufacturer Airbus at a facility in Seville in Spain. The Airbus officials handed over the keys of the aircraft to the Indian Air Force chief Chaudhari.
After receiving the delivery of the first C-295 transport aircraft, the IAF chief said that it is a major milestone for the whole country and that it is a stepping stone for Atmanirbhar Bharat.
“It is a major milestone not only for IAF but for the whole country. This is for two reasons – first, for IAF it improves our tactical airlift capabilities by leaps and bounds. For a nation, it marks the beginning of a new era,” Chaudhari said.
The aircraft is the first of 16 C-295 that will be produced in Spain and the remaining 40 will be made in an Indian facility in Gujarat’s Vadodara under a joint venture of Tata and Airbus.
The aircraft is expected to be inducted formally into the service at a ceremony in Hindan around September last week. The Indian Air Force chief was personally involved in the contract at important stages as Deputy Chief of Air Staff where he was leading the contract negotiations.
The aircraft has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and paradropping of troops and cargo. Sixteen 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 10 years of the signing of the contract. This is the first project of its kind in which a military aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company.
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