New Delhi: The first locally assembled Airbus C295 military transport aircraft has completed its inaugural test flight from the final assembly line facility
in Gujarat. The flight represents a critical post-production testing milestone for the first of 40 tactical airlifters being manufactured domestically for the Indian Air Force. The C295 India programme is the nation’s first military aircraft manufacturing project undertaken entirely by the private sector, managed through an industrial partnership between Airbus Defence and Space, and Tata Advanced Systems Limited. The joint venture is tasked with delivering the first Indian-built twin-engine turboprop later this year.
A total of 56 aircraft were ordered under a Rs 21,935 crore contract to replace the ageing Avro fleet of the Indian Air Force. While 16 aircraft are being delivered in a fly-away condition from Seville in Spain, of which six units have already been received, the remaining 40 transporters are undergoing full assembly in Vadodara. The manufacturing process will scale up to deliver all ordered units by August 2031. The production layout uses a digitised pulse line system where airframe assembly moves through sequential, fixed workstations. The manufacturing ecosystem spans multiple domestic facilities, with over 13,000 detail parts and major component assemblies sourced from over 125 domestic micro, small and medium enterprises.
A wide range of use cases
The five to ten tonne capacity aircraft is engineered for multi-role operations under all weather conditions. IT features 11 hour flight endurance and a rear ramp door for rapid troop and cargo paradropping. All 56 transport unites will feature an integrated, indigenously developed electronic warfare suite produced by domestic defence public sector undertakings. The project is part of a wider strategic initiative to expand defence manufacturing beyond $25 billion, with export targets exceeding $5 billion. Once the Air Force delivery schedule is complete, the regulatory framework permits commercial sales and cleared export variants to international operators.
