India to acquire 56 C295 aircraft to replace the IAF's legacy AVRO fleet, in which, the first 16 aircraft will be assembled in Spain and the following 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) in India

Photo Credit : Airbus,

The first C295 for India has successfully completed its maiden flight, marking a significant milestone towards its delivery by the second half of 2023, according to Airbus.

On the first flight, the aircraft took off from Seville in Spain and landed after three hours of flight on 5 May.

“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 improving the Indian Air Force (IAF) operational capabilities,” said Jean-Brice Dumont, Head of Military Air Systems at Airbus Defence and Space. 

India to acquire 56 C295 aircraft, which was announced in September 2021 to replace the IAF's legacy AVRO fleet. The first 16 aircraft will be assembled in Seville and delivered 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 built in Gujarat is the first concrete, large-scale Make-in-India defence programme in the private sector to unlock the industrial value chain of design, manufacturing, assembly, testing, delivery and maintenance of the complete lifecycle of the aircraft. 

According to the official statement, “This programme will significantly contribute towards developing the indigenous capabilities of Indian companies for an ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.”

The global C295 programme comprises 280 orders from 39 operators, making it an unmatched aircraft in its weight and mission class.