Ireland’s Department of Defence (DoD) announced 13 December the acquisition of two Airbus C295 medium airlifters in a maritime surveillance configuration for service with the Irish Air Corps.
Alberto Gutiérrez, Head of Military Aircraft at Airbus Defence and Space, said: “We are pleased to welcome the Irish Air Corps to our family of C295 operators, a signal of continued trust from an Air Force that already operates two Airbus CN235s.”
In a press release by Airbus, the company stated that the C295’s will come equipped with self-protection equipment including cockpit armour, a radar warning receiver (RWR), a missile approach warning system (MAWS) and a laser warning receiver (LWR).
The C295 MPA is powered by two PW127 turboprop engines driving Hamilton Sundstrand Type 568F-5 six-bladed propellers. Each propeller has a diameter of 3.9m. The engine provides a nominal take-off power of 2,645shp.
The C295 can fly at a maximum speed of 480km/h. The altitude during normal operations is 7,620m. The maximum takeoff weight is 23,200kg. The aircraft has an endurance of more than 11 hours and a maximum range of 5,630km.
This order will see the Irish Air Corps become the 33rd C295 operator worldwide.
