As the delivery date of the IAF-C295 approaches, Airbus has released new breathtaking pictures of the IAF-C295M tactical transport vehicle. The cabinet committee on security had given its approval on September 2021to acquire 56 C-295MW tactical transport vehicle, following which the Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Airbus for the acquisition of the aircraft with associated equipments.
The Ministry of Defence had signed a contract for 56 aircrafts, out of which the first 16 would be built in the Airbus facility in Seville, Spain within 48 months of the contract and the remaining 40 airplanes would be built in the Tata-Airbus facility in Vadodara, India whose foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October 2022.
The induction of this airplane will help transition out the older Avro Aircrafts of the IAF. This will be seen as another step towards modernising the nation’s Airforce.
The ₹21,935 crore project is the first of its kind project in which a military aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company. It involves the full development, i.e, from the manufacture to assembly, test, and qualification, delivery, and maintenance of the complete lifecycle of the aircraft by private companies instead of the government.
The first 16 fly-away aircraft are scheduled to be received between September 2023 and August 2025, while the first aircraft which will be made in the Tata-Airbus facility is expected from September 2026. The first lot of pilots of IAF have already started training on the aircraft.
C-295MW is a transport aircraft of 5-10 tonne capacity with contemporary technology. It is expected to strengthen the logistic capabilities of the IAF. It consists of a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para-dropping of troops and cargo and short take-off/land from semi-prepared surfaces. The aircraft can also be used civilian purposes.
Earlier on 8th of April, Airbus had released footage of the C-295 rolling out from the paint shop in Seville, Spain. A month after this, on the 8th of May, Airbus had released a video of the aircraft taking off from the runway.
