The planemaker Airbus will convey India's first strategic military vehicle, the C295 airplane, to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in September, according to a report by the Hindustan Times on Wednesday. IAF teams will complete trials of India's first C295 transport airplane at Airbus Defence and Space’s Seville office in southern Spain toward the beginning of September prior to taking delivery of the plane, said the report, referring to Airbus authorities mindful of the matter.
The initial 16 C295 airplanes will be delivered to the IAF via Airbus in flyaway condition from Spain. According to the report, which cited officials, the remaining forty planes will be manufactured in India, and domestic production is currently in full swing.
Make in India push
The first C295 will be delivered to India, setting off a crucial 21,935 crore rupee "Make in India" project to provide the Indian Air Force with 56 of these aircraft.
According to the report, the second C295 aircraft is in the final assembly stage at Airbus's Seville facility and will be delivered to the IAF in May 2024. The first C295 aircraft completed its maiden flight in May.
In October 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the manufacturing facility being set up by the Tata-Airbus consortium at Vadodara. India's defence ministry had signed an agreement with Airbus to boost self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector. Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus are jointly executing the task.
Six IAF pilots and 20 experts have been prepared at the Seville office, Jorge Tamarit, head of the C295 India program, told HT. Another 18 pilots and 60 professionals will be prepared at Seville one year from now, he added.
Jorge Madrid, another senior Airbus official associated with the Indian program, told HT that the final assembly line in Vadodara will be operational in November 2024, while the main constituent assembly for the C295 established by Tata will be operational next week.
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