Airbus-TATA C-295 Transport Aircraft
The Airbus Military C295 is a new generation, very robust and reliable, highly versatile tactical airlifter able to carry up to nine tonnes of payload or up to 71 personnel, at a maximum cruise speed of 260 kt /480 km/h. 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 & 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 manoeuvrability, outstanding hot and high performance, low fuel consumption and consequently a very long endurance of up to eleven hours in the air.First delivered in 2001, the C295 is a developed version of the well-known CN235, offering greater capacity and range. Its simple systems design and robustness, its proven in service reliability, its excellent flying qualities and great versatility, as well as its remarkable transport capabilities make it the most efficient “workhorse” with the lowest fuel burn, as well as the best operating and maintenance costs in its category.. The civil and military certification of the C295 ensures compliance with the international airworthiness regulations and safety standards, including the stringent FAR 25 requirements.
The longest cabin, optimized 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.
The C295’s STOL capability combined with a strong landing gear enable 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 Reliabilty with Lower Operational 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 updgrades. 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.
Robustness and Versatility in Military Operations
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.
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.The C295 has become the most trusted airlifter in its category, being used either as single transport type, or as a versatile and efficient complement to heavy airlifters and transport helicopters. 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.
Proven in the Service of Armed Forces
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. The C295 can use short aunprepared irstrips not accessible to heavier aircraft.
• 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.
Self-protection:
In addition to its outstanding manoeuvrability and STOL characteristics, the C295 offers optional self-protection equipment, which are already in service in hostile environments like Iraq and Afghanistan: cockpit armour, radar warning (RWR), missile warning (MAWS), laser warning (LWS), and chaff/flares dispensers. In flight refuelling capability is also optional for the C295.
Civil/Humanitarian Mission
The C295 is ideal for any kind of “civic” / humanitarian mission for the benefit of society. Robust, solid, rugged, and with outstanding low level flight and short take-off and landing characteristics from unprepared rough, soft and short airstrips, but also a flying endurance of up to eleven hours, the C295 is also fitted with Airbus Military’s unique Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS) allowing any kind of surveillance and monitoring.
Humanitarian missions:
C295s from the Mexican Navy were among the first aircraft transporting emergency personnel and humanitarian aid into Haiti just after the tragic earthquake in 2010. This involved:
• Transport of medical and emergency personnel, police and security forces, peacekeeping troops, evacuation
of civil population affected by natural disasters or conflicts.
• Transport of first-aid supplies (water, food, medicines, tents…), electric generators, water-treatment
equipment.
• Airdrop of humanitarian aid
• Medical evacuation (Medevac) of ill/injured patients“
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 deterrance, wild deforestation, bringing supplies to people living in remote locations (isolated islands, deserts, etc). 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 or palletized solution.
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.
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.
The C295 is fitted with the Highly Integrated Avionics System (HIAS), an advanced integrated avionics system based on the Thales Topdeck ® Avionics suite. The flexible architecture concept and the use of dual technology civil/military equipment ensure success on demanding tactical missions, growth potential for future equipment as well as compatibility with the latest civil airspace environment.
The left engine is fitted with a propeller brake: while on the ground the engine gas generator can function in APU mode with the propeller stopped to deliver electrical power and bleed air for the aircraft systems. The propeller brake system provides the same ground-power functionalities of a conventional on-board APU at a fraction of the cost, weight and complexity.
The C295 glass cockpit with digital avionics includes four large active matrix liquid crystal displays (6’’x8’’), fully compatible with night vision goggles. The advanced integrated avionics system with multifunctional displays provides improved situational awareness and flight safety, lower pilot workload and enhanced mission effectiveness.The system functionalities support the requirements for both civil and military tactical environments: CARP/HARP computational aids (for precision airdrops), performance management, VNAV, radio management, tactical databases, etc. The autopilot and flight director System is certified under FAR-25 requirements for ILS Cat I and Cat II approaches and GPS non-precision approaches for automatic or manual operations.
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 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.
