India achieves milestone as first domestically produced C-295 aircraft is ready for flight test

India’s first domestically produced C-295 transport aircraft has been assembled at the Tata-Airbus facility in Vadodara and is now preparing for its first flight test.

Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, visited the final assembly line of the C-295 aircraft at Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) in Vadodara to review progress.

IAF said in a post on X on Friday, "Deputy Chief of the Air Staff visited the final assembly line of the C-295 at Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), Vadodara, where the first C-295 under the Make in India initiative is getting ready for its first flight. The programme, executed in partnership between TASL and Airbus, represents a major advancement in indigenous aerospace manufacturing and is a significant step towards Atmanirbhar Bharat."

India signed a Rs 21,935 crore contract with Spain for 56 C-295 transport aircraft, with 16 being delivered in fly-away condition and the remaining 40 set to be manufactured in India.

The Tata-Airbus manufacturing plant in Vadodara was inaugurated on October 28, 2024, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

The C-295 aircraft will replace the aging Avro-748 fleet of the Indian Air Force and will be used for troop transport, cargo movement, medical evacuation and special operations missions.

Powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW127G turboprop engines, the C-295 features short take-off and landing capabilities and can operate from rugged and semi-prepared airstrips. Each aircraft will also be fitted with an indigenous electronic warfare suite developed jointly by Defence Research and Development Organisation, Bharat Electronics Limited and Bharat Dynamics Limited.