Rajnath Singh inaugurates mega drone show, inducts first C-295 aircraft into IAF at Hindon airbase

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday inaugurated a mega drone show being hosted at the Hindon airbase. The first C-295 medium tactical transport aircraft was inducted into the Indian Air Force. This kicks off India’s first ‘Make in India’ aerospace programme in the private sector.Watch: The aircraft had landed in Vadodara on September 20, days after it was handed over to the IAF in the southern Spanish city of Seville.Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft in fly-away condition from its final assembly line in Seville by 2025 and the subsequent 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) in India as part of an industrial partnership between the two companies.The production of components of these aircraft has already started in the Main Constituent Assembly facility in Hyderabad. These parts will be shipped to the Final Assembly Line in Vadodara which is expected to be operational by November 2024.Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of the manufacturing facility for C-295 planes in Vadodara in October last year. It will be the first military aircraft to be manufactured in India by a private consortium.The IAF is procuring the C-295 aircraft to replace its fleet of ageing Avro-748 planes that entered the service over six decades ago.The C-295 is known to be a superior aircraft used for tactical transport of up to 71 troops or 50 paratroopers and for logistic operations to locations that are not accessible to current heavier aircraft. The aircraft can airdrop paratroops and loads, and also be used for casualty or medical evacuation.The aircraft is capable of performing special missions as well as disaster response and maritime patrol duties.With inputs from PTI