Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the C-295 aircraft manufacturing plant in Vadodara. Official sources have confirmed that the Indian Air Force (IAF) will receive 40 C-295 planes, with the first one expected to be delivered in September 2026. Currently, six of the 16 C-295 aircraft imported from Spain have already been inducted into India’s 11 Squadron.
The new manufacturing facility is part of a significant deal signed in September 2021, in which the Ministry of Defence agreed to a contract worth ₹21,935 crore with Airbus Defense and Space SA for a total of 56 aircraft. While 16 of these aircraft will be delivered directly from Spain, the remaining 40 will be produced locally by Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL).
The first medium tactical transport aircraft was delivered in September 2023. The IAF has incorporated six of the C-295 aircraft into its operations at the Vadodara-based 11 Squadron, with plans for the final aircraft in this batch to be delivered by August 2025.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is set to visit India from October 28 to 30, during which he will tour the Vadodara facility. Both PM Modi and Sanchez will inaugurate the Final Assembly Line plant for C-295 aircraft, marking India’s first private sector assembly line for military aircraft.
According to sources, the first C-295 produced in India will roll out of the Vadodara facility in September 2026, with the remaining 39 aircraft expected to be completed by August 2031. This initiative aims to replace the ageing fleet of Avro-748 planes, which have been in service for over 60 years.
PM Modi and Spanish PM to Launch C-295 Aircraft Manufacturing Facility in Gujarat