Madrid has awarded Airbus Defence & Space a contract worth almost €1.7 billion ($1.8 billion) to produce 16 C295s adapted for maritime duties.
Announced on 20 December, the agreement will supply the Spanish Air Force and Navy with two versions of the twin-turboprop, respectively the Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) and the Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (MSA). ).
“These new aircraft will allow the Spanish Aerospace Army and Navy to expand the national anti-submarine warfare capability, as well as reinforce and reinforce their surveillance, reconnaissance and search and rescue units,” says Airbus’ defence unit.
To upgrade the now-retired Lockheed Martin P-3 Orions, the C295 MPA will perform anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare duties, as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. It will be armed with aerial weaponry, adding torpedoes and a Ka-band satellite communication system. Other features include a magnetic anomaly detector housed in a tail boom and sonobuoys for anti-submarine duties.
Airbus says the variant also “can become a flying command and control centre, providing the Spanish armed forces with the versatility to carry out a wide range of missions”.
“The maritime patrol edition is the most complex project configuration of the C295 to date,” said Michael Schoellhorn, Airbus Defence Managing Director
The agreement also includes full flight formula and project simulators, as well as an initial logistics package.
The manufacturer describes the C295 MSA as “the natural replacement for the fleet of CN235 VIGMAArray in service with the Spanish Aerospace Army since 2008. “
The surveillance style will be set up for maritime and land tasks, “anti-smuggling operations, illegal immigration and drug trafficking,” in addition to search and rescue tasks.
Airbus has not disclosed the distribution of orders between the MPA and MSA variants, and the meeting of the modified C295s will take place at its headquarters in San Pablo, near Seville.
The company said earlier this year that it expects to close an order for these assets before the end of 2023.
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