The first Airbus C295, a new-generation tactical airlifter, successfully completed its maiden flight for India on May 5. This marks a significant milestone towards its delivery by the second half of 2023, Airbus said in a media statement.
"This first flight represents a significant accomplishment for the first Make in India aerospace programme. With the Indian Air Force set to become the largest operator of the C295 in the world, this programme exemplifies our commitment to improve the Indian Air Force (IAF) operational capabilities," said Jean-Brice Dumont, Head of Military Air Systems at Airbus Defence and Space.
The tactical aircraft took off from Seville, Spain, on May 5 at 11:45 am local time and landed at 14:45 pm after three hours of flight.
India acquired 56 C295 aircraft in September 2021 to replace the (IAF) legacy AVRO fleet. The first 16 aircraft will be assembled in Seville, Spain, and delivered to the customer in 'fly-away' condition. The following 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) in India as part of an industrial partnership between the two companies.
"The C295 Final Assembly Line being built in Gujarat is the first concrete, large-scale Make-in-India defence programme in the private sector that will unlock the industrial value chain of design, manufacturing, assembly, testing, delivery and maintenance of the complete lifecycle of the aircraft. This programme will significantly contribute towards developing the indigenous capabilities of Indian companies for an 'AatmaNirbhar Bharat'," Airbus said.
The global C295 programme comprises a total of 280 orders from 39 operators.
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