Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday, June 11, 2026, celebrated the successful maiden flight of the first Made-in-India C-295 military transport aircraft, calling it a significant milestone in India's defence manufacturing journey and a testament to the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Context

Rijiju's post marks the first flight of a domestically assembled C-295MW transport aircraft, a landmark event for India's aerospace sector. The minister described the development as part of India's journey 'from aspiration to achievement,' underscoring how indigenous platforms are reinforcing the country's self-reliance goals.

The C-295 programme stems from a September 2021 contract covering 56 aircraft, with final assembly entrusted to Tata Advanced Systems Limited in India — one of the most consequential private-sector defence manufacturing partnerships in the country's history.

Policy Backdrop

The aircraft's maiden flight is the most visible outcome yet of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2020, which set out to reduce India's dependence on defence imports through technology absorption and domestic production. The broader Make in India programme, launched in September 2014, laid the policy groundwork for private-sector participation in aerospace and defence.

India has steadily raised the share of its defence capital budget earmarked for domestically sourced equipment since 2020, with the C-295 project serving as a flagship example of that shift. The programme moves India away from outright imports toward licensed local assembly and, over time, deeper indigenisation of components and systems.

Stakeholders and Impact

The Indian Air Force is the primary beneficiary, as the C-295MW is slated to replace its ageing fleet of Avro HS-748 transport aircraft. Successful domestic assembly opens the door to a sovereign maintenance, repair, and overhaul ecosystem, reducing lifecycle dependency on foreign suppliers.

For India's private aerospace industry, the programme signals that complex military platform assembly is now within domestic industrial reach. The partnership model — technology transfer combined with local final assembly — is being closely watched as a template for future defence programmes involving both public-sector undertakings and private manufacturers.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the delivery schedule for the remaining 55 aircraft and the indigenous content percentages achieved at each production stage. Parliamentary committees are expected to seek updates on offset obligations fulfilled and the pace at which critical sub-systems are being sourced domestically.

The maiden flight positions India as a credible assembler of modern military transport aircraft and could strengthen the country's pitch for defence exports in the medium term, aligning with the government's stated target of significant annual defence export revenues.