MADRID: The Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic has signed an agreement for the acquisition of four C-295 military transport aircraft from Airbus Military. The agreement extends to logistical support.
These aircraft will replace the former fleet of Antonov An-26 aircraft. The first aircraft will be delivered at the end of 2009 and the last before the end of 2010.
With these four aircraft, the order book for C-295 aircraft totals 72 units. This model is owned by nations such as Poland, Finland, Portugal, Brazil, Chile, Jordan and Spain, among others.
The C-295 is a multipurpose aircraft used in humanitarian missions, deployment of rapid reaction forces, maritime surveillance and homeland security worldwide. More than 250 CN-235/C-295 currently in service have proved their quality and operating range in the hardest conditions, over the deserts in the Middle East or the more inhospitable polar regions, in humanitarian aid missions, or to evacuate catastrophic areas or military areas such as Bosnia or Afghanistan, within the OTAN operational framework.
These two models add up more than one million flights.
The C-295 is the latest development of Airbus Military medium weight tactical transport aircraft family. Versatile, robust and with the lowest life cycle cost (LCC) of any aircraft in its category, the twin turboprop (2 x Pratt & Whitney PW127G, 2,645 shp) C-295 is capable of carrying out a wide range of missions with maximum efficacy.
The C-295 can carry 71 troops or 49 paratroops + one jumpmaster. Loading options include five MIL STD 88”x108” 463L pallets or up to ten 88”x54” pallets. The max cruise speed is 260 kts (480 km/h). Max TOW is 51,150 lb (23.2 ton). Basic dimensions (approx.) are 85 ft (26 m) wingspan, 80 ft (24.5 m) length, and 28 ft (8.7 m) height.
Airbus is an EADS company.
