NEW DELHI: India has achieved a major milestone in make-in-India military aircraft production as the first domestically-produced C-295 transport aircraft has been assembled at the Tata-Airbus facility in Vadodara and is ready for a flight test.Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, deputy chief of the air staff, recently visited the final assembly line of the C-295 at Vadodara to get a first-hand update about the first made-in-India military transport aircraft.In a post on X, IAF said on Friday, “Deputy Chief of the Air Staff visited the final assembly line of the C-295 at Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), Vadodara, where the first C-295 under the Make in India initiative is getting ready for its first flight. The program, executed in partnership between TASL and Airbus, represents a major advancement in indigenous aerospace manufacturing and is a significant step towards Atmanirbhar Bharat.The Vadodara plant was inaugurated in Oct 28, 2024 by PM Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sánchez. India had signed a Rs 21,935 crore contract with Spain for 56 C-295 transport aircraft. Of these, 16 aircraft are being supplied directly from Spain in fly-away condition, while the remaining 40 are planned to be manufactured in India under the “Make in India” initiative.The project is also being hailed as a major success for the govt’s Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives aimed at reducing India’s dependence on imported defence aircraft.External affairs minister S Jaishankar had earlier stated that the first made-in-India C-295 aircraft would roll out before Sept 2026. The Airbus C-295, which will replace the ageing Avro-748 fleet of the IAF, is a medium tactical military transport aircraft designed for troop movement, cargo transport, medical evacuation, and special operations missions. It can carry up to 70 troops, 48 paratroopers or 24 medical stretchers.Powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW127G turboprop engines, it is equipped with short take-off and landing capabilities and can operate from rugged, semi-prepared and short airstrips, making it ideal for Indian operational requirements, especially in mountainous regions and remote forward bases. Each of the 56 aircraft is being equipped with a custom, indigenous electronic warfare (EW) suite built by Bharat Electronics Ltd and Bharat Dynamics Ltd.