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2017-01-09

C295: THE RESPONSE TO TODAY´S & TOMORROW´S NEEDS

First delivered in 2001, the Airbus Defence and Space C295 is a developed version of the well-known CN235 aircraft, offering greater capacity and range.

Fitted with a retractable landing gear and a pressurised cabin, it can cruise at altitudes up to 25,000 ft, while retaining remarkable short take-off and landing (STOL) performance from unprepared short, soft and rough airstrips, as well as low level flight characteristics.

Powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127G turboprop engines, the C295 provides an excellent maneuverability, outstanding hot and high performance, low fuel consumption and consequently a very long endurance of up to eleven hours in the air.

The civil and military certification of the C295 ensures compliance with the international airworthiness regulations and safety standards, including the stringent FAR 25 requirements.

Now, with the new C295W version equipped with winglets, the aircraft is capable of transporting more payload over larger distances in the hot and high conditions typical of various countries included in this tour of the region, resulting in fuel savings of around 4 percent and increased safety margins in mountainous regions.

The features of the C295 innovation mastery

The long cabin, optimised for daily missions: Being 12.7 m / 41 ft 8 in long, the C295 has the longest unobstructed cabin in its class. It can accommodate up to 71 seats, offering a much higher personnel carrying capability than its competitors in this segment.

For the same reason, it can carry much more palletised cargo (up to five 88 inch X 108 inch standard HCU-6E pallets) with direct off-loading through its rear ramp door.

Short take-off and landing (STOL) capability : The C295’s STOL capability combined with a strong landing gear enables it to operate in the most austere locations with the worst conditions for take-off and landings. The aircraft is a tactical military transport with a light footprint to enable operations from short (no longer than 670 m / 2,200 ft), soft and rough (CBR 2) unprepared airstrips. The C295 is also designed to provide outstanding low-level flight characteristics for tactical missions, flying at speeds down to 110 kt.

Better reliability, lower operating costs: The C295 has an outstanding reliability track record. In service since 2001, and with some 80 aircraft in operations, it has amply demonstrated its worth as an outstanding “work-horse” for any kind of military transport or civic and humanitarian relief operations in the most varied environments, ranging from desert to mountainous areas, to hot and dry as well as humid or very cold.

The C295 is based on the earlier CN235, but with many component upgrades. Both aircraft feature a strong airframe and simple general systems with fewer components. These are key elements to ensure high reliability, and low maintenance and operating costs. The effectiveness and soundness of the CN235/C295 general systems design is backed by one million flying hours of operational experience in all types of environments.

Responsive to any mission needs: The robustness and versatility of the C295 makes it the ideal platform for any type of military or civic operations for the benefit of society. The aircraft performs any type of mission: from personnel, troop and bulky/palletised cargo transportation to casualty evacuation, communication and logistic duties, search and rescue, surveillance and control, homeland security, or certified air-dropping.

It is able to perform all these missions with the lowest configuration change time, thus reducing the risk exposure when operating in hostile environments. A key to the aircraft’s unique patrol and surveillance capabilities is its Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS) which integrates, controls and displays the mission sensors, enhancing the mission awareness and facilitating the decision making.

Military Operations

The C295 aircraft is combat proven and has successfully completed military missions in all types of environments. It routinely operates in the hot and humid environments of the Brazilian jungle and Colombian mountains, in the dusty and very hot deserts of Algeria and Jordan, and in the extremely cold winters and icy conditions of Poland and Finland.

The C295 has been successfully used during long deployments – up to two years, flying up to 90 hours per aircraft per month – in remote areas, such as Chad, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Thirty two nations operate the CN235/295 light/medium airlifters to complement their C-130-class aircraft, including Abu Dhabi, Brazil, France, Jordan, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain and Turkey.

In its military role the C295 is used for:

• Tactical transport of troops and the required logistic supplies (water, food, ammunition, medical supplies, spare parts) from the main operating base to the forward bases, and among forward locations.

• Airdrop of paratroops and loads, with the use of 88in-width platforms and container delivery system (CDS) A22 bundles.

• Activities related to antiterrorism, border control and homeland security, thanks to its integrated surveillance systems, including the FITS.

• Casualty evacuation (Casevac) /Medical evacuation (Medevac) using either basic litters or mobile intensive care units (ICU) with life support equipment.

In addition to its outstanding maneuverability and STOL characteristics, the C295 offers optional self-protection equipment – cockpit armour, radar warning (RWR), missile warning (MAWS), laser warning (LWS), and chaff/flares dispensers. Inflight refueling capability is also optional for the C295.

The C295 is also available in an “Anti Submarine Warfare” (ASW) version and an Airborne Early Warning (AEW&C) and Control fitted with the IAI/ELTA 4th Generation Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar.

Anti-Submarine Warfare

Airbus Defence and Space’s anti-submarine warfare (ASW) version of the C295 Intelligence and Surveillance (ISR) is equipped with a tactical system proven during ISR/ASW missions, and under-wing stations to carry weapons and other stores.

It represents a modern, risk-free and much more efficient alternative to older generation veterans such as the P-3 Orion or the Bréguet Atlantique, while its operating and maintenance costs are significantly lower.

The version received certification from Spanish authority INTA in July 2010. It is also the first time in 30 years that a completely new Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft is developed and certified in Europe.

The C295 ASW benefits from the experience accumulated with the CN235 since 1994 on maritime patrol missions, for which its Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS) is an essential element. This important milestone further confirms Airbus Defence and Space’s capacity to integrate complex systems into its aircraft or other platforms for any kind of military and civic use.

Airborne Early Warning and Command

Airbus Defence and Space is currently flight testing an Airborne Early Warning and Command (AEW) version of its C295.

The C295 demonstrator is fitted with a six metre / 19 ft 18 in diameter rotodome. The primary sensor of the AEW&C will be the IAI/ELTA 4th Generation Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar with integrated IFF. This follows an agreement signed by Airbus Defence and Space and IAI/ELTA in June 2011 at the Le Bourget Airshow.

The C295 AEW&C has been designed to provide high quality 360º surveillance, creating in real-time an integrated Air and Maritime Situation Picture and Electronic Order of Battle.

The initial tests have shown that the aircraft is aerodynamically an excellent platform for this purpose. ELTA Systems and Airbus Defence and Space are now conducting engineering studies to integrate the mission suite, including AESA radar, among other sensors, with the FITS into the aircraft.

Other C295 special versions are Gunship (Close Air Support to ground troops, convoys, and facilities), Tactical Aerial Refueling (to increase the radius of action for combat SAR or Special Ops helicopters) and SIGINT version.

Civic / Humanitarian Missions

Humanitarian missions:

The C295 is ideal for any kind of civic or humanitarian mission since it is robust, solid, rugged, and with outstanding low level flight and short take-off and landing characteristics. The C295 is also fitted with Airbus Defence and Space’s unique Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS) allowing any kind of surveillance and monitoring.

Civic missions:

The C295’s civic activities include surveillance and control activities, such as search and rescue, monitoring of illegal immigration, drug smuggling, piracy, illegal fishery, maritime pollution control and deterrence, wild deforestation, bringing supplies to people living in remote locations.

These are performed by most of the operators, such as the Portuguese Air Force to patrol the huge Portugal’s Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ), including areas around Azores and Madeira islands. Chilean Navy and Brazilian Air Force also use the C295 for search and rescue (SAR) missions.

The Surveillance activities can be performed thanks to the Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS), which can be installed in both permanent and palletized solution.

In conclusion, the robustness and versatility of the C295 makes it the ideal platform for any type of military or civic operations for the benefit of society.

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