New Delhi: India is set to achieve a major milestone in defence manufacturing, with the first made in India C 295 military transport aircraft expected to roll out of the Vadodara assembly line before September this year.
The development is part of a landmark defence agreement signed in 2021 under which 56 C 295 aircraft are being procured for the Indian Air Force. Of these, 16 aircraft are being delivered in fly away condition from Spain, while the remaining 40 are being manufactured and assembled in India.
The project is being executed through a partnership between Airbus and Tata Advanced Systems Limited. The Vadodara facility is the final assembly line, while major airframe structures are being produced at Tata’s plant in Nagpur. Officials say nearly 80 percent of the aircraft structure is already being made in India, reflecting a high level of indigenous participation.
The aircraft will replace the ageing Avro fleet of the Indian Air Force and is expected to significantly improve its transport and logistics capabilities. The C 295 can be used for troop movement, cargo transport, medical evacuation, disaster relief operations and humanitarian missions.
The progress of the programme was recently highlighted during high level discussions between India and Spain, where both sides underlined the growing strength of defence and industrial cooperation between the two countries.
Once operational, the C 295 programme is expected to create thousands of jobs, strengthen India’s aerospace ecosystem and support the country’s broader goal of self reliance in defence production.
The rollout of the first made in India aircraft is being seen as a symbolic and practical step forward in India’s efforts to build advanced military platforms within the country.