The air force is expected to receive its first Made-in-India C295 transport aircraft in Vadodara on September 22-23, a landmark event as it is the first military plane produced by India’s private sector, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday.IAF to get its first Made-in-India C295 aircraft in Sept-endThe aircraft, which is currently undergoing flight tests, is expected to join one of the Indian Air Force’s two C295 squadrons based in Agra and Vadodara, the officials said asking not to be named.In September 2021, the defence ministry signed a ₹21,935-crore contract with Airbus for 56 planes to boost self-reliance in defence. Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus are jointly executing the programme. The European plane maker has delivered 16 planes to the IAF in flyaway condition; the rest are being assembled in India.Last week, Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani visited the Tata Aircraft Complex in Vadodara where the C295 planes are being assembled to review the programme’s progress. It is on track and the remaining 39 planes will be delivered by August 2031.The IAF is expected to begin raising its third C295 squadron next year, the officials said.The planes will boost the air force’s logistics capabilities to meet mission requirements in forward areas, including those near the contested border with China, and replace its ageing fleet of Avro transport aircraft that entered service in the early 1960s.The IAF will be the world’s largest operator of the C295. Under the C295 India programme, the country is manufacturing more than 13,000 parts, 4,600 sub-assemblies and all major component assemblies. But equipment such as engines, landing gear and avionics is being provided by Airbus, and integrated on the aircraft. The tactical airlifter is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW127G turboprop engines.The aircraft can carry up to nine tonnes of payload or 71 personnel or 45 paratroopers and has a maximum speed of 480 kmph. It can operate from short or unprepared airstrips and has a rear ramp for paradropping troops and cargo. Airbus is also setting up a production line for the H125 helicopters in partnership with TASL at Vemagal in Karnataka. This will be the fourth such facility in the world and India’s first helicopter final assembly line in the private sector. These helicopters are currently produced only in France, the US and Brazil.