On Monday, 25th September 2023, the Indian Air Force base at Hindon witnessed the formal induction of the first C-295 MW transport aircraft into the IAF.
The ceremony consisted of a ‘Sarv Dharm Puja’ — a multi-faith prayer ceremony — and a brief on the capabilities of the aircraft. This medium lift tactical aircraft, which is capable of taking off and landing from unprepared landing grounds, will replace the HS-748 Avro aircraft.
Through a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Raksha Mantri exuded confidence that the induction of C-295 will bolster medium lift tactical capability of the IAF. He termed the defence and aerospace sectors as the two important pillars for making India self-reliant in the coming years.
While the first 16 of the 56 contracted aircraft will be delivered to the IAF in a ‘fly-away’ condition, the remaining 40 would be manufactured in India by Tata Advanced Systems Limited at their facility in Vadodara. The first IAF squadron to be equipped with the aircraft, 11 Squadron (The Rhinos), is also based at Vadodara.
