C-295 MW Aircraft : Received
The Indian Air Force received the first C-295MW transport aircraft from Airbus in Seville, Spain.
- C-295 MW aircraft is a transport aircraft of 5-10 tonne capacity.
- It will replace the legacy Avro aircraft in the Indian Air Force (IAF) procured in the 1960s.
- It is a versatile and efficient tactical transport aircraft which can perform a number of different missions.
- Under the contract, 16 aircraft will come in fly-away condition from Seville, while 40 will be manufactured by Airbus jointly with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. (TASL).
- The aircraft, with a flight endurance of up to 11 hours, can carry out multi-role operations under all weather conditions.
- It can routinely operate day as well as night combat missions from desert to maritime environments.
- It can also operate on short, unprepared airstrips as it is capable of Short Take-off and Landing (STOL).
- It has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para dropping of troops and cargo. Short take-off/land from semi-prepared surfaces is another of its features.
- It can be converted into an air tanker that can deliver up to 6,000 kg of gasoline to fixed and rotary wing receivers by adding a detachable refueling kit.
- It has a cutting-edge radar with 360-degree coverage to give a complete picture of the airspace in its Airborne Early Warning variant.
- The C-295 can be transformed into a powerful water bomber that can put out forest fires with up to 7,000 litres of water due to a flexible roll-on/roll-off system.
- It is equipped with a close-air-support operation that uses an Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR )with a multi-mission radar that can also be weaponised.
