Indian Defence Minister Inaugurates Bharat Drone Shakti Event and Inducts C-295 Aircraft into Indian Air Force
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Bharat Drone Shakti – 2023 event and formally inducted the C-295 transport aircraft into the Indian Air Force (IAF) at the Hindan airbase in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad. India has signed a deal to acquire 56 Airbus C-295 aircraft to replace the IAF’s aging Avro transport fleet, with the first 16 being manufactured in Spain and the remaining 40 to be produced in Vadodara, India, as part of a joint venture between Airbus and the Tata Group.
The Bharat Drone Shakti event is a two-day showcase of India’s drone industry and features over 50 live aerial demonstrations, presenting various drone capabilities including survey drones, agriculture drones, fire suppression drones, and tactical surveillance drones. It’s attended by representatives from the government, state departments, industries, armed forces, paramilitary forces, and friendly countries.
