The Spanish Government has opened the orderbook for the CASA C295 military transport with a deal for nine aircraft.
"We have started marketing the aircraft worldwide as a natural complement to the smaller CN235 and C212," says CASA. It adds that there are "excellent prospects" for sales of around 20 aircraft to Australia and Greece.
The C295 was developed with the help of Ptas 14 billion ($91 million) funding from the Spanish industry ministry. The aircraft will be used for logistics transport by the Spanish air force, which operates 20 CN235s. First delivery is planned for the end of next year.
The C295, a stretched derivative of the CN235, has 50% more cargo volume at 53m3 (1,865ft3) and three times the range of the smaller aircraft, says CASA. It rivals the Lockheed Martin/Alenia C27J.
The 7,500kg (16,600lb) payload C295 has Pratt &Whitney PW127G engines, replacing the less powerful General Electric CT-7s used for the CN235. It is fitted with Sextant Avionique Topdeck digital avionics, as offered for the latest version of the CN235, the -300.
Source: Flight International
