First C-295 aircraft inducted into Indian Air Force

Ghaziabad, September 25

The first C-295 medium tactical transport aircraft was inducted into the Indian Air Force on Monday, boosting its logistics capabilities.

The induction ceremony took place at the Hindan Air Force Station here in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

He later took part in a ‘Sarva Dharma Pooja’ that was performed in the hangar to mark the occasion.

IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari along with senior officials of the IAF as well as of Airbus attended the induction ceremony.

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 aircraft was unveiled at the hangar after two sliding screens, bearing ’11 SQN: Pioneers of C-295 MW’, ‘Rhinos: The Trailblazers of C-295 MW’, and image of the newly-inducted aircraft, moved sideways. One-horned rhino is the emblem of Sqn No. 11.

The IAF chief had on September 13 received the first of the 56 C-295 transport aircraft two years after India sealed a Rs 21,935-crore deal with Airbus Defence and Space to procure the jets to replace its ageing Avro-748 fleet.

The aircraft had landed in Vadodara on September 20, days after it was handed over to the IAF in the southern Spanish city of Seville.