First C-295 Aircraft Handed Over To IAF Chief In Spain (image-www.pib.gov.in)
IAF Aircraft Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari received the first C-295 aircraft transport for Indian in Spain on Wednesday. The aircraft made by global aircraft manufacturer Airbus was handed over to the IAF in Seville in Spain.
“The IAF Chief would receive the first aircraft from Airbus at their facility in Seville, Spain on Wednesday. The aircraft would be flying to India from there after ceremony” defence officials said earlier to ANI.
The Indian Air Force chief will fly the aircraft today. First fifteen aircraft will be made in Spain and C-295 is the first among them. The rest 40 will be made in Vadodara, Gujarat in a joint venture of Tata and Airbus.
Indian Defence Ministry and Airbus Defence and Space signed a contract to procure 56 C-295 aircrafts for the Indian force in September 2021. It is a project of Rs 22000, the Hindu reported.
As per the contract, the aircrafts manufactured from the Spain will be handed over within 48 months and aircrafts manufactured by Tata consortium will be delivered within 10 years of the signing of the contract, as per the ANI report.
After the completion of this project, it will be marked as the first ever military aircraft to be manufactured in India by a private company.
This aircraft was ordered as a replacement to the ageing Avro-748 planes which has entered service in the early 1960’s as per Hindustan Times.
The project will be a boost to aerospace ecosystem in India in which several MSME’s (Ministry of Micro, small, Medium Enterprises) spread over the country will be involved in the manufacturing of parts of the aircraft. All 56 aircraft will be installed with an indigenous Electronic Warfare Suite, according to the press release of Ministry of Defence.
A formal induction ceremony will be held at the Hindon air base later this month to welcome the first aircraft, officials said.
The C-295 contract covers performance-based logistics support for five years, supply of spares across 10 operating bases for 10 years, ground support and test equipment, and training, the officials added.
The C-295 can carry up to 9 tonnes of payloads or 71 personnel or 50 paratroopers. The aircraft has a maximum speed of 480kmph.
