The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday received its first C-295 medium tactical transport aircraft at Vadodara air base. The arrival of the state-of-the-art aircraft comes just days after it was formally handed over to the IAF in the southern Spanish city of Seville, reported PTI.
The IAF announced the aircraft’s arrival on social media platform X stating, “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 25 Sep 23 at AF Stn Hindon by the Honourable Raksha Mantri Shri 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 25 Sep 23 at AF Stn Hindan by the Honourable Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh.#AtmanirbharBharat pic.twitter.com/qkhoamP2IG— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) September 20, 2023
The official induction of this transport aircraft into the Indian Air Force is scheduled to take place on September 25 at the Hindon Airbase near Delhi, in a ceremony to be presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. A total of 56 C-295 aircraft are slated to be inducted into the IAF, with 40 of them to be manufactured in India through the Tata-Airbus joint venture, the Economic Times reported quoting the IAF officials.
Notably, the C-295 is expected to be the centrepiece of the upcoming Air Force Day parade and will herald the establishment of the IAF's first squadron of tactical airlifters in Vadodara. The first aircraft is anticipated to participate in this year's Air Force Day parade scheduled for October 8 in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, where the IAF celebrates its 91st anniversary, according to a report by Hindustan Times.
Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari received the first C-295 transport aircraft in Spain on September 13. This marks the culmination of a Rs 21,935-crore deal between India and Airbus Defence and Space, aimed at replacing the ageing Avro-748 fleet.
The introduction of the C-295 aircraft into the IAF's fleet will significantly enhance the logistics capabilities of the IAF, especially in meeting mission requirements in forward areas, including those near the contested border with China. Furthermore, it will retire the ageing Avro transport aircraft, which have been in service since the early 1960s.
The IAF's second C-295 is already in the final assembly stage in Seville and is expected to be delivered by May 2024. The last of the 16 flyaway aircraft will be delivered to the IAF by August 2025. The first made-in-India C-295 is slated to roll out of the Vadodara facility in September 2026, with the remaining 39 aircraft to follow suit by August 2031.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
First Published: Sept 21, 2023 5:17 PM IST
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