The above picture is of the first such aircraft of the 16, to be built at the Seville factory in Spain.

PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of this facility at Vadodara in October 2022.

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Over the next few years, India is likely to buy more of these aircraft, which will also be built at the same facility. The Tata-Airbus facility at Vadodara will also build aircraft for exports, officials have said.

The C-295 is a tactical transport aircraft capable of lifting 6 tonnes — it can carry five cargo pallets or 71 troops or 50 paratroopers. The rear ramp door of the aircraft can be used for quick reaction and para-dropping of troops and cargo.

The aircraft can land on and take off from short, unprepared airstrips not accessible to heavier transport aircraft, a feature which makes it useful for operations from Advanced Landing Grounds along India’s China frontier.