India's first indigenous military transport aircraft completes maiden test flight

India's first domestically built Airbus C295 completed its maiden test flight from Vadodara. The sortie moves the aircraft into post-production testing before delivery to the Indian Air Force later this year.

In Short

• India's first indigenously made Airbus C295 completed maiden test flight
• 40 C295 planes to be produced in India for Indian Air Force
• Project is first private sector military aircraft manufacturing in India

India’s first indigenously manufactured Airbus C295 military transport aircraft successfully completed its maiden test flight from the Tata-Airbus Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Vadodara, marking a significant milestone in the country’s defence manufacturing ambitions and the Centre’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.

The aircraft, the first of 40 C295 transport planes to be produced in India, undertook its inaugural sortie as part of the post-production testing process ahead of its planned induction into the Indian Air Force (IAF) later this year.

The successful test flight is being seen as a landmark moment for India’s aerospace and defence ecosystem, as the C295 programme is the country’s first military aircraft manufacturing project led by the private sector. The programme is being executed through a partnership between European aerospace major Airbus and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL).

"A game changer in the Government of India's 'Make in India' vision, the C295 India programme is the first instance of a military aircraft being manufactured in India by the private sector," the Airbus Defence said.

The Vadodara-based final assembly facility, inaugurated in 2024, serves as the hub for assembly, testing and delivery of the aircraft. Officials said the maiden flight demonstrated the aircraft’s operational readiness and marked the beginning of the next phase of certification and evaluation.

The project stems from the Rs 21,935 crore contract signed in 2021 between India and Airbus Defence and Space for the procurement of 56 C295 aircraft for the IAF. Under the agreement, the first 16 aircraft are being delivered in fly-away condition from Spain, while the remaining 40 are being manufactured in India.

The programme represents a major shift in India’s defence manufacturing landscape, which had for decades remained dominated by state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). With the C295 assembly line operationalised in Vadodara, Tata Advanced Systems has become the first private Indian company to establish a full-scale military aircraft production facility in the country.

- Ends