India's First Domestically Built C295 Aircraft Delivery Delayed by 1-2 Months Due to Testing Issues

Key facts

• The delivery of the first made-in-India C295 tactical transport aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF), originally expected by September 2026, has been delayed by one to two months due to minor issues during testing, according to Air Chief Marshal AP Singh.
• The aircraft is the 17th of 56 transport aircraft ordered and the first to be completely manufactured in India.
• A Rs 21,935 crore contract was signed in September 2021 between the Ministry of Defence and Airbus Defence and Space; the first 16 aircraft were built in Spain and delivered, while the remaining 40 are being made in India.
• Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), in partnership with Airbus, is manufacturing the remaining 40 aircraft at a Final Assembly Line in Vadodara, Gujarat — the first private-sector military aircraft assembly line in India — with major structural components made in Hyderabad.
• The C295 fleet will replace the Indian Air Force's legacy Avro fleet, in service since the 1960s.
• The C295 is a twin-engine turboprop with a 5 to 10-tonne payload capacity, a rear ramp door, and the ability to operate from short, semi-prepared, and unprepared airstrips, useful in high-altitude areas like Ladakh and the Northeast.