The first “Made in India” Airbus C-295 completed its maiden test flight on June 10, 2026, taking off from the Tata-Airbus Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Vadodara, Gujarat. The sortie carried out post-production manoeuvres to evaluate the aircraft’s flight systems and clears a key hurdle ahead of official delivery to the Indian Air Force later in 2026. The flight is part of a Rs 21,935 crore contract signed in 2021 for 56 C-295 tactical transport aircraft to replace the IAF’s ageing Avro-748 fleet.
While the initial 16 aircraft under the deal are being delivered in “fly-away” condition from Spain, the remaining 40 are scheduled to be manufactured locally at the Vadodara facility. The C-295 programme marks a step change in production: a private-sector consortium led by Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), in partnership with Airbus Defence and Space, has assembled a military aircraft from scratch in India for the first time, ending decades in which domestic military aviation was dominated by public-sector firms.
The Indian Air Force welcomed the milestone, saying: “The achievement reinforces India’s growing aerospace capabilities and underscores the IAF’s commitment to fostering indigenous defense capability under the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.” The statement praised the engineering teams involved in the Vadodara build and test process.
The twin-turboprop C-295 is a multi-role tactical airlifter capable of carrying up to 71 troops, 48 paratroopers, or 24 medical-evacuation stretchers. With short take-off and landing (STOL) performance, the aircraft is designed to operate from rugged, unpaved airstrips-qualities suited to India’s remote, mountainous border regions.
Beyond replacing an ageing fleet, local assembly of the C-295 is being framed as a broader boost to India’s indigenous defence manufacturing. Continued production at the Vadodara plant will be watched as a test of the country’s ability to scale private-sector-led aerospace manufacturing and deepen supply-chain capabilities.
Original Source: https://www.firstpost.com/india/made-in-india-airbus-c-295-aircraft-completes-first-test-flight-from-vadodara-facility-watch-14021114.html
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Publish Date: 2026-06-11 06:18:00
