Spain buys 16 maritime patrol aircraft

The Spanish Ministry of Defence has acquired 16 Airbus C295 aircraft in maritime patrol (MPA) and maritime surveillance (MSA/VIGMA) configuration, for a value of 1,7 billion euro.

These new aircraft will allow the Air and Space Force and the Navy to reinforce the national anti-submarine warfare capacity, as well as increase and improve their surveillance, reconnaissance and search and rescue units.

“These aircraft will be designed and manufactured entirely in Spain, reinforcing the defence industrial footprint and national sovereignty,” said Mike Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space. “In particular, the maritime patrol version is the most complex mission configuration of the C295 to date. “A major development project that will bring together the latest technologies to deliver a major operational advantage to our client.”

The contract also includes training systems (flight simulator and mission system simulator) and an initial logistical support package.

The C295 MPA will carry out the missions carried out by the fleet of P-3 Orion aircraft, retired at the end of 2022. It will be equipped to carry out anti-submarine, anti-surface warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Likewise, it will be able to carry weapons such as torpedoes and other types of weapon systems.

The MPA setup will be highly connected and will be able to operate collaboratively with other platforms in different domains. The aircraft can be converted into an in-flight command and control centre and will provide the Spanish Armed Forces with the versatility to carry out a wide variety of missions.

The C295 MSA is the natural replacement for the fleet of CN-235 VIGMA aircraft, in service with the Air and Space Force since 2008. It will be mainly equipped for maritime and land operations, such as operations against smuggling, illegal immigration and drug trafficking, as well as national and international search and rescue missions.

There will be a high degree of synergy between both aircraft configurations. The Air and Space Force also operates a fleet of 13 Airbus C295s in transport configuration. The aircraft will be assembled at the Airbus Defence and Space facilities in Seville.

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