Airbus Military conducted the first test flight of a potential future enhancement for its C295 medium transport on 21 December 2012, with the addition of winglets intended to boost efficiency during take-off, climb and cruise phases. Performed from its San Pablo site in Seville, Spain, the sortie will be followed by other data-gathering flights, the company said in a 2 January statement.
"Possible in-service benefits include improved hot and high runway performance, increased range and endurance, and reduced operating costs," says Airbus Military, which revealed in May it was studying the modification.
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| Airbus Military |
One potential candidate to receive the winglets is a special mission version of the C295, which will carry an Elta Systems-sourced airborne early warning and control mission system. In 2012, Airbus Military conducted aerodynamic test flights of a demonstrator aircraft featuring a fixed rotodome, with the same platform also used for the recent activity.
If proven to be of benefit, winglets could be installed to new-build C295s, and also potentially be offered as a retrofit option to current users of the type. The design is operated by, or on order for, a total of 16 nations, as recorded by Flightglobal's MiliCAS database.
Source: Flight International
