Seville [Spain], May 8 : Airbus on Monday said the first C295 for India successfully completed its maiden flight, marking a significant milestone towards its delivery by the second half of 2023.
According to a statement, the tactical aircraft took off from Seville, Spain, on May 5 at 11.45 local time (GMT+1) and landed at 14.45 after 3 hours of flight.
"This first flight represents a significant accomplishment for the first Make in India aerospace programme. With the Indian Air Force set to become the largest operator of the C295 in the world, this programme exemplifies our commitment to improve the Indian Air Force (IAF) operational capabilities," said Jean-Brice Dumont, Head of Military Air Systems at Airbus Defence and Space.
India acquired 56 C295 aircraft in September 2021 to replace the (IAF) legacy AVRO fleet.
The statement said the first 16 aircraft will be assembled in Seville, Spain, and delivered to the customer in 'fly-away' condition. The remaining 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) in India as part of an industrial partnership between the two compes.
This programme will significantly contribute to developing the country's military-industrial ecosystem from manufacturing to assembly, testing, to delivery and maintenance of the complete lifecycle of the aircraft.
The C295 programme comprises a total of 280 orders from 39 operators, making it an unmatched aircraft in its weight and mission class.
The Airbus C295 is a new-generation tactical airlifter in the light and medium segment.
According to Airbus, it is robust and reliable but also highly versatile in terms of the number of different missions it can perform. The C295 conducts multi-role operations worldwide under all weather conditions. It said it is fully certified and routinely operates day and night in combat missions in all weather extremes, from desert to maritime environments, from extremely hot to extremely cold temperatures.
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