Airbus delivers first C295 to Indian Air Force
The aircraft is used for military and medevac operations
Airbus Defence and Space has handed over the first of 56 C295 aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF) to replace its ageing Avros-748 fleet.
The C295 is in fly-away condition, in transport configuration and with an indigenous electronic warfare suite installed.
It can carry up to 71 troops or 50 paratroopers, airdrop cargo, be used for medical evacuation, and take off and land on short and unpaved runways.
The aircraft will leave Airbus’ production site in Seville, Spain, in the next few days for Delhi, India and will be piloted by a joint IAF-Airbus crew.
“It was only two years ago that we signed this contract with India, the largest order in the history of the C295,” said Jean-Brice Dumont, Airbus’ Head of Military Air Systems, in a delivery ceremony held in Seville in the presence of India’s Ambassador to Spain Dinesh K Patnaik and IAF Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari.
“Today, we are enhancing the capabilities of the Indian Air Force and modernising its transport fleet by delivering the first aircraft on schedule. This is the beginning of an exciting and long-term journey with the Indian Air Force,” he added.
The first 16 C295s of the 56 aircraft on order will be assembled at the San Pablo Sur site in Seville, Spain, with the second aircraft due to be delivered in May 2024 and the next 14 rolled out at a rate of one per month until August 2025.
The Indian Air Force has recently been helping rescue efforts for flooding in state of Himachal Pradesh.
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