The Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira, FAB) has taken delivery of a new SC-105 (the local designation for C295) maritime search-and-rescue (SAR) aircraft from Airbus Defence and Space at a handover ceremony in Seville, Spain, on 14 November. The new aircraft is the second unit from an order of three that were placed on order by the Air Force in 2014 at a total contract cost of $215.1 million. The aircraft is the first to have a fixed air-to-air refuelling probe, and is scheduled to arrive in Brazil on 23 November.
The three aircraft integrate a range of specialized hardware for the fulfillment of their SAR and surveillance missions including Airbus’s Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS) and an Elta EL-M-2022A radar system. The aircraft are outfitted with the Thales TopDeck avionics suite. The first SC-105 SAR was formally inducted in August 2017 without the receiver probe installed, although the FAB said in April this year that it will be equipped at a later date. The third and final aircraft, which will include the refuelling probe, will be delivered in the second half of 2020.
