India completes Import of C-295 Airlifter from Airbus Company.

India has taken delivery of the last batch of 16 C-295 military transport aircraft from Airbus, completing a key acquisition to modernise its airlift capabilities. Airbus has officially handed over the planes in Seville, Spain, in the presence of New Delhi’s Ambassador to Madrid Dinesh Patnaik and representatives from the Indian Air Force.

According to Ambassador Dinesh Patnaik, the delivery came two months ahead of schedule, marking “an important milestone” for the South Asian country’s national security and military readiness.

India had awarded Airbus the contract for up to 56 C-295s in 2021 to replace its air force’s aging Avro Hawker Siddeley 748 airliners produced in the 1960s. Under the deal, 16 aircraft are to be delivered from Spain, while the remaining 40 are to be manufactured in India as part of a domestic industrial base initiative. In October 2024, Indian defense contractor Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus opened a final assembly line in Vadodara, Gujarat, supporting the local production of the government’s remaining C-295 units.

Airbus’ C-295 Aircraft

The C-295 measures 24 meters (79 feet) in length and has a wingspan of 26 meters (85 feet). It transports over 70 personnel and up to 9,250 kilograms (20,393 pounds) of cargo. The plane runs on two Part & Whitney PW127G turboprop engines with 2,644 horsepower each, coupled with a six-bladed Hamilton Sundstrand propeller, six hardpoints, and a Honeywell weather radar. It has a range of 5,000 kilometers (3,107 miles), an operational altitude of 9,145 meters (30,000 feet), and a top speed of 482 kilometers (300 miles) per hour.

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