Indian Air Force will get its first indigenously manufactured C-295 aircraft in September 2026

The Indian Air Force will, for the first time, get the indigenously built and state-of-the-art transport aircraft, the C-295, fitted with all electronic warfare to suit the needs of the IAF, in September 2026. In this major purchase involving 56 aircraft with the world's leading aviation company Airbus, 40 aircraft will be manufactured and assembled in India in Joint Partnership with Tata Advanced Systems Limited-TASL.

But all the 40 transport aircraft manufactured indigenously under this deal will reach the Air Force only by August 2031. The first joint facility of its kind in the country for the manufacturing of transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force will be inaugurated in Vadodara on Monday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez.

This Final Assembly Line (FAL) of TASL-a strategic unit of Tata Aerospace and Defence Systems along with Airbus- will be a big showcase for Make in India. Commencing the manufacturing process for the C 295 transport aircraft, in this new era of global geopolitical challenges, would not only address the immediate needs of the Indian Air Force but would also unlock new doors in terms of long-term cooperation and partnership in the defense aviation manufacturing sector.