New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Monday formally inducted its first Airbus C295 MW medium transport aircraft at the Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh handed over a symbolic key of the aircraft to be inducted into the 11 Squadron, to IAF chief Air Chief Marshal V. R. Chaudhari.
“Arrival of the C295 heralds a new era for the IAF’s tactical airlift capability. The aircraft is best in its class in terms of capability, liability, versatility and economy of operations,” Group Captain Prashant Negi, Commanding Officer of 11 Squadron, said.
The aircraft will give the IAF’s air operations a “significant boost”, he said, adding that it will enable the force to execute a wide range of missions to air transport operations to Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR).
The latest induction comes two years after the Cabinet Committee for Security (CCS) first cleared the purchase of 56 C-295s worth Rs 21,935-crore in 2021. The aircraft will replace IAF’s ageing Avro-748s.
Airbus along with its Indian partner Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) will jointly execute the project, supplying the first 16 aircraft in a flyaway condition. Another 40 will be assembled in India by TASL in Vadodara, Gujarat. This is the first project in which a military aircraft will be manufactured by a private company in India.
Airbus Military Air Systems head Airbus Jean-Brice Dumont and Airbus India head Remi Millard represented Airbus at the event that was also attended by Spain ambassador Jose Maria Ridao Dominguez, Union ministers V. K. Singh and Rajeev Chandrashekhar and TASL CEO & MD Sukarn Singh.
Sources told ThePrint that the IAF currently operates about 30 Avro aircraft. With time and depending on their performance, the aim will be to retain only about 16 of these aircraft by 2030. This number could change based on their performance, they said.
At a time when the IAF is planning to replace even AN-32 medium transport aircraft, the procurement of C295s is likely to come in handy for the IAF because of load-carrying capacity and the ability to take off on a shorter airstrip.
The aircraft took its first flight in Seville, Spain on May 5 lasting for about three hours. Once the IAF starts operating all of its C295s, it will become the largest operator of this aircraft in the world.
The C295 will be used for tactical transport of up to 71 troops or 50 paratroopers, and for logistic operations to locations that are not accessible to the IAF’s current heavier aircraft. It can be used for air-to-air refuelling of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
As reported by ThePrint, unlike the Avro, the C295 has a rear ramp for loading and unloading — which will serve as a boon for the IAF when dealing with larger equipment.
The transport aircraft can also be modified for maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare, besides electronic intelligence (ELINT) and communications intelligence (COMINT) needs. It can perform missions as well as disaster response and maritime patrol duties.
Despite essentially being a transport aircraft, it can be modified for intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance with a multi-mission radar and can be weaponised to conduct effective close air support operations.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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