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Big Win                                     long search, for a replacement for its sixties era fleet of HS-748   [ AIR  SYSTEMS ]

                                                     ‘Avro’ aircraft built under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
                                                     (HAL). The C295MW becomes the third modern Western trans-
                                                     port type to be ordered by India over the past decade, joining the
                                                     C-17 Globemaster III and C-130J Super Hercules. The Indian order
                                                     for the C295 takes the orderbook for the type in the Asia Pacific
                                                     region to 81.

         INDIA INKS AIRBUS C295                      “THE C295 PROGRAMME WILL PROVIDE THE
         CONTRACT, BRINGING THE IAF’S                INDIAN AIR FORCE WITH A PROVEN PLATFORM,
         AVRO REPLACEMENT SAGA TO A                  AN AIRCRAFT THAT IS OPERATING GLOBALLY
         CLOSE
                                                     AND HAS BOOKED MORE THAN 500,000
                                                     FLIGHT HOURS IN SERVICE IN ALL KIND OF
           Atul Chandra                              ENVIRONMENTS. WITH THIS HIGHLY EXPECTED
                                                     AND KEY CONTRACT THE C295 FAMILY GROWS
         The signing of the contract between India’s  UP TO 35 OPERATORS AROUND THE GLOBE AND
         Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Airbus Defence   CONTINUES BUILDING UPON ITS STRENGTHS AS
         and Space, Spain last month for supply of 56
         C295MW transport aircraft for the Indian Air   THE GLOBAL REFERENCE IN ITS SEGMENT,” said
         Force (IAF) is a landmark moment for Indian   Jean-Brice DUMONT, Executive Vice President Military Aircraft,
         aviation. This is the first instance of an OEM   Airbus Defence & Space.
         partnering with a private sector entity (Tata
         Consortium)  for  manufacture  of  a  military  Make in India
         aircraft in India and will set the precedent  India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which is headed by the
         for award of such contracts to India’s private  Defence Minister accorded its Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for
         sector industry. The formalisation of the con-  the IAF’s proposal to replace its Avro fleet in  2012, marking the
         tract, brings to an end the IAF’s nearly decade  formal start to the procurement process. Airbus Defence and Space

        ASIAN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY                                                        September / Octobert 2021 | 21
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