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Countries like the United States, Russia, and China are among the major players in the aerospace industry and possess some of the world’s most advanced and powerful aircraft. The United States, for instance, operates advanced fighter jets like the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II, which are considered cutting-edge in terms of technology and capabilities.
India has also made significant strides in developing indigenous aircraft like the Tejas and the C-295 to compete and fight with such powerful technology. In today’s article, we will discuss the powerful Indian aircraft, i.e., C295.
Air Force- C295 Military Transport Aircraft
The Air Force now has its first military transport aircraft that will ease the work of moving the aircraft from one place to another. With such help, the IAF’s transport duties will get a good boost, and transferring the troops and materials would be easy across the country.
The best part about C295 is that it can easily be operated on short runways with no extra maintenance. Very soon, India will get its own fully-operational factory in Gujarat where the first ever C295- India’s First c295 Military Transport Aircraft will start rolling out by the end of 2026.
About Military Transport Aircraft- C295
The C295 Transport Aircraft will be manufactured in India under the scheme “Make In India” Aerospace program. India is not set to replace the Avro fleet of the IAF and has begun manufacturing this transport C-295 aircraft at a cost of Rs. 21,935.
With this deal, India is set to acquire 16 aircraft in fully-functioning condition from Seville- the final assembly with the other 40 aircraft to be delivered by Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) in India under the partnership between TASL and the company in Vadodara, Gujarat.
As confirmed by Airbus officials, each of the 56 C-295 aircraft can carry cargo upto 9 tonnes of weight. And later on, another 15 planes are planned to be deployed to the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard for maritime surveillance.
Therefore, the TATA group, seeing its power, is planning to promote this powerful aircraft to other countries.
Although, specific sources from the defense and security establishment have said to ThePrint that the BSF, which operates Avros as well, is planning to procure C-295 aircraft beside one security agency planning to use the plane for its technical surveillance.
For this bunch of aircraft, 6 IAF pilots have already received training, and a group of 20 maintenance crew are getting their training at the Airbus facility belonging to the IAF. Recently, TASL established a factory in Hyderabad, which later initiated manufacturing all the major airframe components like fuselage and tail.
Officials have declared a statement that all the major parts of the Airbus, like the avionics and engine, are transferred from Pratt & Whitney, the transfer of manufacturing technology to TASL by Airbus so that 90% of the production could be done in India by the years.
And, if everything goes accordingly, the 32nd aircraft, which is planned to be delivered in the first quarter of 2029, will be an entirely Indian C295.