India signs C295 deal
Computerised rendering of a C295W in Indian Air Force colours. (Photo: Airbus)
Airbus participates in ‘Make in India’ project to provide the IAF with 56 new tactical airlifters.
The first ‘Make in India’ aircraft manufacturing project in the private sector took another step forward on 24 September, after Airbus announced the formal signing of a contract to provide 56 of its C295W aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
These new medium tactical airlifters will replace a fleet of more than 50 HS748 Avro aircraft.
Under the contract, within four years Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft in ‘fly-away’ condition from its final assembly line in Seville, Spain.
‘The subsequent 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by the Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) in India as part of an industrial partnership between the two companies,’ Airbus added in a statement. This process will take six years.
Other Indian companies involved in the programme include Bharat Electronics, Bharat Dynamics and SMEs in the private sector.
All of the IAF C295Ws will be handed over in transport configuration and equipped with an indigenous EW suite.
The IAF will become the 35th C295 operator worldwide, with the programme reaching 278 aircraft (200 of which are already in operation, according to Airbus).
Shephard on 10 September reported Indian government approval for the C295W procurement. No details of the contract value have been published but Shephard Defence Insight expects it to be worth around $2.5 billion.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![October crewed air review: Israel’s Apache deal bets on crewed aviation in an uncrewed age]()
October crewed air review: Israel’s Apache deal bets on crewed aviation in an uncrewed age
Israel’s $1 billion Apache helicopter order highlights the continued demand for crewed attack aviation, while growing integration with uncrewed systems could shape future modernisation and procurement decisions.
-
![US Navy keeps Super Hornet production restart option open, but without defined cost or timetable]()
US Navy keeps Super Hornet production restart option open, but without defined cost or timetable
The US Navy plans to preserve Super Hornet and Growler tooling as production winds down, with restart costs unassessed and final F/A-18 deliveries expected in late 2027.
-
![Connecting the layers: how networks can secure the future of European air defence]()
Connecting the layers: how networks can secure the future of European air defence
The rise of drones has reshaped the threat landscape for all European militaries. For industry, future defensive strategies must carefully balance a mix of passive and active measures to address the evolving danger, based around a highly integrated and responsive network of sensors and effectors.
-
![October drone digest: France and Lithuania advance loitering munition procurements as global spending surges]()
October drone digest: France and Lithuania advance loitering munition procurements as global spending surges
Recent procurement developments in France and Lithuania highlight the growing demand for loitering munitions, with global annual spending forecast to increase nearly 50-fold between 2020 and 2029.
-
![Germany could secure greater influence through sixth-generation fighter partnership with Sweden and Spain]()
Germany could secure greater influence through sixth-generation fighter partnership with Sweden and Spain
Germany is assessing potential pathways for a future sixth-generation fighter capability, including discussions with GCAP partners and Sweden.
-
![Quantum Systems details 480km/h Ukrainian interceptor as production scales up]()
Quantum Systems details 480km/h Ukrainian interceptor as production scales up
Quantum Systems’s Ukraine-made interceptor SPYS is thought to cost approximately 10 times less than Russia's jet-powered uncrewed aerial systems and is being produced at scale.
