The Indian Air Force formally inducted the first C-295 medium tactical transport aircraft on Monday to boost its logistic capabilities. The induction ceremony of the aircraft took place at the Hindon Air Force Station in the presence of the Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. IAF chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari along with senior officials of the IAF as well as of Airbus were also present during the induction ceremony. Rajnath Singh later participated in a 'Sarva Dharma Pooja' that was performed in the hangar to mark the occasion.

The first C-295 aircraft was inducted into Squadron No. 11 of the IAF which is one of the oldest squadrons of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and is currently based at Vadodara Air Force Station. The first C-295 aircraft was inducted into Squadron No. 11 of the IAF. It is one of the oldest squadrons of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and is currently based at Vadodara Air Force Station.

The IAF Chief had received the first of the 56 C-295 aircraft on the 13th of September, 2 years after India had sealed a deal with Airbus Defence and Space worth Rs 21,935 crores to procure jets to replace its ageing Avro-748 series and the aircraft was later brought to Vadodara on the 20th September after it was handed over to the IAF in the Spanish city of Seville.

As part of the agreement, Airbus will deliver the first 16 aircraft in fly-away condition from its final assembly line in Seville by 2025 and the subsequent 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled by Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) in India. Meanwhile, the manufacture of the components needed for the aircraft has already started in the Main Constituent Assembly facility in Hyderabad. These components will then be transported to the final assembly line in Vadodara which is expected to be operational by November 2024.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the founding stone for the manufacturing facility for the C-295 in Vadodara in October last year and the C-295 will be the first Indian aircraft to be manufactured in India by a private consortium.

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