India prepares to order 56 new Airbus C-295 transport aircraft within the year

 

The C-295 transport aircraft from Airbus. Photo c/o Business Day.

India is expected to sign a contract worth US$2.5 billion within the year to purchase 56 new C-295 medium transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF). 

According to the Indian Ministry of Defence, the project was reportedly undergoing financial approval stage, and the contract is expected to be signed within 2021.

The aircraft, which is from Airbus Defense and Space, will replace the IAF's existing fleet of ageing Avro 748 transport aircraft, which has been in service since the 1960s.

According to Indian officials, the C-295 is also expected to support the IAF's fleet of Antonov An-32 transport aircraft, which is also being eyed for replacement in the near future, with the C-295 being considered as a natural replacement.

As part of the Make-in-India initiative of the Indian government, the project would be a collaboration between Airbus and Indian aviation company Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. (TASL), which would build majority of the aircraft in India.

Under the collaboration, Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft, built in their facility in Spain, in flyaway condition. The aircraft would be delivered to the IAF within the next 2 years. The rest, covering 40 aircraft, would be assembled in India by TASL and to be delivered to the IAF spread through another 8 years.

The Airbus C-295 is one of the world's most successful propeller-driven medium tactical transport aircraft, which was developed from the Spanish-Indonesian CN-235 transport aircraft, but with a stretched fuselage, improved avionics, and more powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127G turbine engines. 

It was designed to operate even from short, unprepared runways, and carry out a variety of missions in all-weather conditions.



[1] Hindustan Times
[2] Air Force Technology
[3] Times of India