India’s First C-295 Completes Maiden Flight

The Indian Air Force has congratulated the C-295 program team on the successful maiden flight of the first military transport aircraft of this type manufactured in India.

The Indian Air Force reported this on its social media, calling the event an important milestone in the development of the national aviation industry and the implementation of the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (“Self-Reliant India”) mission.

The first flight took place at the Final Assembly Line in Vadodara, Gujarat. Tata Advanced Systems assembled the aircraft in collaboration with European aerospace company Airbus.

The event is considered a milestone for the Indian aviation industry, as it is the first military aircraft manufactured by a private Indian company in the country under a large-scale defense production localization program.

The C-295 program is being implemented under a contract signed between India and Airbus in 2021. The agreement provides for the supply of 56 aircraft to the Indian Air Force.

The first 16 aircraft were manufactured in Spain and delivered in completed form. The remaining 40 aircraft are to be assembled in India at facilities of Tata Advanced Systems.

According to Airbus, the Indian program involves localization of more than 13,000 parts, the involvement of dozens of local suppliers, and the creation of a full-scale military aircraft manufacturing ecosystem.

It is expected that the first C-295 manufactured in India will be delivered to the Indian Air Force by the end of 2026, with production eventually reaching up to 12 aircraft per year.

The C-295 is intended to replace the aging HS-748 Avro transport aircraft, which have been in service with the Indian Air Force for more than six decades.

At the same time, the appearance of the first Indian-built C-295 comes amid discussions on the future of other transport platforms. Just a few days ago, an Indian Air Force An-32 crashed during landing in Jorhat, renewing focus on the country’s transport aviation modernization needs.

India remains the largest operator of the An-32 worldwide, and a significant portion of these aircraft were modernized with participation from Ukrainian enterprises.

The successful maiden flight of the Indian-built C-295 is seen as both a milestone for the Indian Air Force and a demonstration of New Delhi’s effort to build an indigenous defense industrial base capable of meeting national security requirements and entering the global military aviation market.

Militarnyi recently reported that India has assembled its first C-295 aircraft for the Indian Air Force.