Airbus hands over initial C295 aircraft to Indian Air Force.

On September 13, 2023, Airbus Defence and Space officially announced the transfer of the first of 56 C295 aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in a ceremony held in Seville. The aircraft is set to begin replacing India's aging Avro-748 fleet and comes equipped with an indigenous electronic warfare suite. It will be flown to Delhi, India, by a joint IAF-Airbus crew in the coming days.

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 The delivery of the first C295 to the Indian Air Force marks the beginning of the replacement of its aging Avro-748 fleet (Picture source: Airbus)

The C295 is a transport aircraft that can carry up to 71 troops or 50 paratroopers. It is capable of medical evacuations and can operate on short and unpaved runways. The aircraft is piloted by a joint crew from the Indian Air Force and Airbus.

The initial 16 out of 56 ordered aircraft will be assembled at Airbus’ San Pablo Sur site in Seville, Spain. The second aircraft is expected to be delivered in May 2024, followed by 14 additional aircraft at a rate of one per month until August 2025.

In line with India's defense self-reliance goals, the remaining 40 C295s will be manufactured and assembled in India, in partnership with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL). The Final Assembly Line (FAL) will be located in Vadodara, India. Components for these aircraft are already being manufactured at a facility in Hyderabad, India, and will be shipped to Vadodara for final assembly.

The first C295 aircraft manufactured in India is expected to roll out in September 2026. The final domestically-produced aircraft is slated for delivery to the Indian Air Force by August 2031.

The delivery of the first C295 to the Indian Air Force marks the beginning of the replacement of its aging Avro-748 fleet.