IAF to receive first C-295 aircraft from Spain today: Know its specifications, warfare systems, and more

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday will receive its first C-295 military aircraft from Airbus in Spain as per a report by India Today. The Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari left to receive the aircraft earlier this week, which is being built at Airbus’s Seville plant.

The aircraft is expected to land at the Hindon air base in Uttar Pradesh in coming weeks. It will then be officially inducted into the Air Force fleet by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The Government of India finalised a deal with Airbus to procure 56 C-295 aircrafts in September 2021 for a total cost of Rs 21,935 crore. The procurement was done to replace the IAF’s ageing fleet of Avro-748 aircrafts.

The first plane to be received by India today, had its maiden flight earlier in May. While Airbus expects to deliver the second aircraft to IAF in May 2024.

‘Made in India’ Airbus C-295

According to the agreement, Airbus will provide 16 ready-to-fly aircrafts from its assembly line in Seville while the remaining 40 will be manufactured and assembled by Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) in Gujarat’s Vadodara as part of an industrial partnership between the two companies.

This will be the first aerospace project under the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the central government. The manufacturing unit In Vadodara will spread over 1.2 million square metres similar to the size of the Airbus assembly line in Spain.

Earlier in July, Airbus confirmed that the manufacturing plant in Gujarat will be fully operational by November 2024 while the first ‘made in India’ C-295 aircraft is expected to roll out in 2026.

This is the first full-production assembly line of Airbus outside Spain. Once complete, the assembly line in Vadodara will be capable of manufacturing 12 aircrafts each year with the same standards as that of the facility in Spain.

Airbus will also share the manufacturing technology with TASL over the years as the 32nd aircraft which might roll out in the first quarter of 2029 is expected to be completely manufactured in India.

Training for C-295

According to officials, six IAF pilots have been trained to fly the aircraft and a batch of 20 maintenance crew have been trained at the facility in Seville. Three more batches of maintenance crew will go for training next year.

C-295 specifications

The Airbus C-295 MW is a military transport aircraft with a 10-tonne capacity and a maximum speed of 480 kmph. The aircraft has a rear door for para-dropping of troops and cargo.

The aircraft can transport 71 troops, 50 paratroopers, five standard pallets and 24 healthcare units.

The C-295 can also be used for mid-air refuelling of fixed wing aircrafts and helicopters.

Apart from that, the aircraft also has the special capability of Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) as it can lift even from grass, soft or unpaved surfaces. It can take-off from just a 2,200-feet long airstrip as well.

C-295 warfare systems

All 56 aircrafts will be equipped with indigenous radar warning receivers and missile approach warning systems which have been developed by Bharat Electronics Limited. They will also have countermeasure dispensing system which is being supplied by Bharat Dynamics Limited.