Indian Air Force‘s quest for additional transport aircraft is likely to be very fulfilled earlier than expected, if a video doing the rounds on social media is to be believed. In the video, the first India assembled C-295 aircraft being rolled out of the Tata Advanced Systems Assembly Plant in Vadodra in Gujarat. This very plant was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and PM Pedro Sanchez of Spain in October of 2024. The aircraft in the video looks like it is almost ready to be rolled out. Earlier this year in January, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The video of the nearly complete aircraft shows that the rollout of the C-295 may happen earlier than September, as had been initially planned.India had signed a deal with the European consortium Airbus to acquire 56 C-295s to replace its fleet of 56 aging HS-748 Avros. The $3.5 billion deal was signed with Airbus in August of 2021 to deliver 16 aircraft in fly away condition and to have the remaining 40 aircraft assembled in India under the Made in India initiative. The delivery of these 40 aircraft for the IAF is expected to be concluded by 2031. India will also establish a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) hub for the aircraft in the country as well as for the wider region. Ten of the thirty six operators of this aircraft are in India’s vicinity and can make use of this facility.The aircraft has significantly leveraged the growing Indian defence ecosystem. A total of 13,400 parts and a total of 4,600 sub-assemblies are now being sourced domestically, more 96% of all the work done on an airframe in Spain is now being done in India.Since the order of the original 56 airframes, the government has cleared an order for fifteen aircraft for a total of $3.1 billion. From the second order, 9 aircraft will be delivered to the navy as part of the Medium-Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft (MRMRA) program and will work alongside the P-8I and six for the Indian Coast Guard under the Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft (MMMA).It is expected that the Indian Air Force will give further orders for this aircraft as its fleet of the An-32 aircraft is nearing retirement. The An-32 fleet of the IAF is the work horse of the transport fleet of the IAF. The An-32 was initially inducted in the Indian fleet in the 1980s and have been serving around the country from the Andaman & Nicobar Islands in the south to the high Himalayas in the north.The C-295 is well placed to replace the An-32 as the former has the capacity to airlift 9,000 kgs of payload, while the An-32 can carry a payload of 6,700 kgs. Both the aircraft can carry 24 stretchers and both the aircraft can carry a similar number of paratroopers.The IAF is currently looking for between 40-80 aircraft under the Medium Maritime Aircraft (MTA) program. The requirement is for these aircraft to carry a minimum load of 20 tonnes. It is expected that the IAF will procure additional C-295 aircraft to replace the remainder of the An-32s.
