WATCH: India gets its first C-295 aircraft 10 days ahead of schedule

Airbus on Wednesday handed over symbolic keys of C-295 aircraft to Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari in Seville city of Spain.The symbolic key of C-295 was handed over by Jean-Brice Dumont, Head of Defence and Aerospace, Airbus.The IAF Chief also took a round of C-295 transport aircraft before flying and entering the cockpit for a sortie in Spain.Group Captain PS Negi will flow the aircraft to India with stopovers at Malta, Egypt and Bahrain before landing at Vadodara air base in India.The military transport aircraft will be flown to India in a few days ahead of its formal induction ceremony at Hindon air-base on 25 September.Airbus Head of Defence and Aerospace Jean-Brice Dumont in Spain said that Make in India and Prime Minister Modi’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat are at the heart of his company and pointed to his team members saying they will have to learn ‘Bharat.’

'Major milestone for India'Speaking at the event, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said, "The delivery of the first aircraft has been ahead of schedule by 10 days.""It is a major milestone not only for IAF but for the whole country. This is for two reasons - first, for IAF it improves our tactical airlift capabilities. For a nation, it marks the beginning of a new era. For Atmanirbhar Bharat, after the first 16 aircraft roll out from this plant, the 17th aircraft onwards will be made in India," Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said."It's a big step for the Indian aviation industry where we will be manufacturing the first military transport aircraft in the country...," he added.Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari further said that the IAF has ordered for 56 aircraft. "There is also a requirement for aircraft by Coast Guard, Home Ministry and in future by Indian Navy also. The numbers may go well beyond 56....," he added.A Rs 21,953 crore deal was inked by India with Airbus for delivery of 56 C-295 aircraft for the IAF.As per the pact, Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft in ‘fly-away’ condition, manufactured at its facility in Seville. The subsequent 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) in Gujarat’s Vadodara as part of an industrial partnership between the two companies.By September 2024, the IAF will receive the total fleet of C-295.The first made-in-India aircraft will be delivered in 2026, while the rest 39 by 2031.As per IAF, all 56 aircraft will be installed with an indigenous Electronic Warfare Suite (EWS) to enhance its capabilities in the operational areas.Notably, this is the first time that a military aircraft will be produced by a private Indian company.The C-295 twin-turbo aircraft can carry up to nine tonnes of cargo and has the capacity to transport 71 troops. It has a cruising speed of 260 knots or around 481 kilometres per hour. It has capability of covering long distances and can even land on smaller airstrips.According to the Airbus website, the C-295 is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127G turboprop engines that provide excellent manoeuvrability, outstanding hot-and-high performance, with fuel consumption for a very long endurance of up to 13 hours aloft.The C-295 aircraft has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para-dropping of troops and cargo.It also has the capability of being equipped for air-to-air refuelling of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.With inputs from agencies