India has received its first C295 military transport aircraft with Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari terming it the beginning of a new era as 40 of the planes will be manufactured domestically, a first for the nation.

The aircraft was received at Seville in Spain and has been delivered as per schedule. This is the first of 16 planes that will be manufactured in Spain and rest of the 40 will be made in India, with a final assembly line at Vadodara. The first Indian made C295 is expected to be delivered in September 2026. The assembly line at Vadodara is currently under construction and is expected to go live by November next year.

“We will be manufacturing 40 of these aircraft in India. This starts a new era where we will be manufacturing military (transport) aircraft completely in India,” Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari, who received the first aircraft and took a sortie in Spain, said.

A total of 56 aircraft were ordered in 2021 for Rs 21,935 crore. The aircraft will replace the ageing Avro 748 transport fleet of IAF. The Tata Group will manufacture 40 of these locally, with production sites at Hyderabad and Vadodara.

The air chief said that the order for locally made C295s is expected to go further up, as the coast guard, navy and home ministry have upcoming requirements. Sources said that the total order for the aircraft – which will include a maritime version – could be close to 100 in the coming years.

Manufacturer Airbus said that the C295, fitted with an indigenous electronic warfare suite, will leave its production site for New Delhi in next few days, piloted by a joint IAF-Airbus crew. “Today, we are enhancing the capabilities of the IAF and modernising its fleet by delivering the aircraft on schedule. This is the beginning of a long-term journey with IAF,” Jean-Brice Dumont, Airbus Head of Military Air Systems said.