The first Airbus-made C295 transport aircraft for India has successfully flown its maiden flight, marking a significant milestone towards its delivery to the Indian Air Force by the second half of 2023.
The first aircraft took off from an Airbus facility at Seville in Spain last Friday and flew for three hours, the company said in a press statement on Monday. The C295 fleet will replace the ageing Avros being flown by the IAF.
The defence ministry in September 2021 signed a Rs 22,000-crore contract with Airbus to buy 56 C295 aircraft, of which 16 aircraft will arrive in fly-away condition between September 2023 and August 2025.
