First Airbus C295 for India successfully completes its maiden flight

Tags: Defence National News

India's first Airbus C295 successfully completed its maiden flight on 8th May. This is an important milestone towards its delivery by the second half of 2023.

An overview of the news

• This maiden flight marks a significant milestone for the first Make in India aerospace programme.

• With the Indian Air Force becoming the largest operator of the C295 in the world, this program exemplifies our commitment to improve the operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

• This maiden flight represents a significant milestone for the first Make in India aerospace programme.

• With the Indian Air Force becoming the largest operator of the C295 in the world, this program exemplifies India's commitment to improving the operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Background of Airbus C295

• The aircraft was tested in Seville, Spain and flew for three hours to check various onboard systems.

• The first 16 such aircraft are being built in Spain, while 40 are to be built in Gujarat by Tata Advanced Systems Limited in collaboration with Airbus.

• The first aircraft is likely to be delivered by September 2023 and Indian Air Force personnel are already being trained in Spain.

• Tata is setting up a main manufacturing facility at Vadodara and will also set up an aerospace and defense complex at Dholera.

• The company hastied up with Airbus which signed a Rs 21,935 crore contractto supply 56 transport aircraft to the Indian Air Force in 2021.

• The new complex will be India's first private sector aircraft manufacturing facility.

• While small aircraft have been built in India in the past, the projects were executed by public sector enterprises, primarily Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

Features of C-295

• It is a medium tactical transport aircraft that was designed by the Spanish aerospace company CASA.

• The manufacturing and final assembly of the C-295 is normally done at the Airbus Defense and Space facilities at San Pablo Airport in Seville, Spain.

• As a tactical transporter, the C-295 is capable of effectively carrying out a variety of missions.