The first of 56 Airbus C-295 tactical transport aircraft being acquired by the Indian Air Force (IAF) has completed its maiden flight, marking a significant milestone towards its delivery by the second half of 2023.
The aircraft took off from the Airbus plant in Seville, Spain, on Friday morning and landed smoothly at 2.45 pm after three hours of flight.
India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a Rs 21,935-crore contract with Airbus on September 24, 2021, for 56 C-295 aircraft.
Since the C-295 is intended to replace the IAF’s ageing fleet of 56 Avro HS-748 aircraft, this contract is called the ‘Avro replacement programme’.
