India signs $2.5-bn contract for 56 Airbus C-295 military aircraft
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a $2.5 billion contract on Friday for the acquisition of 56 Airbus C-295 aircraft. These will replace the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s) legacy fleet of Avro HS-748 aircraft.
Under the terms of the contract, Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft in ‘fly-away’ condition from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain. The subsequent 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled in India by Tata Advanced Systems (TASL), as part of an industrial partnership between Airbus and TASL.
The IAF will become the 35th operator of the C-295 worldwide. Airbus has obtained orders for 278 of these aircraft, of which 200 are already in operation. The C-295 has logged more than half a million flight-hours.
