The Royal Thai Air Force has acquired two Airbus C295 in tactical transport configuration, which will enhance Thailand’s defence capabilities. The two C295s will be operated by the 46th Wing Division of the Royal Thai Air Force from the Phitsanulok air base. Thailand already has three C295s operated by the Royal Thai Army, performing cargo and troop transport missions since 2016. The C295s in transport configuration have the capacity to carry 70 troops or 49 paratroopers, take off and land on unprepared runways, perform cargo and paratrooper drops, as well as undertake medical evacuation.
The aircraft will be assembled at the Airbus Defence and Space facilities in Seville, Spain, with the first delivery scheduled in the first half of 2029. Airbus contributes to the Thai defence industry through a partnership with Thai Aviation Industries (TAI) for their support in the maintenance of the C295 fleet through advanced training means. Thailand is one of the seven countries in the Asia-Pacific region that operates the C295. As the global leader in its segment, the C295 holds 85% of the market share with a total of 333 orders from 39 countries across four continents. To date, the global C295 fleet has achieved 750,000 flight hours.
The Airbus C295 (previously CASA C-295) is a medium-range twin-engined turboprop tactical transport aircraft that was designed and initially manufactured by the Spanish aerospace company CASA, which is now part of the European multinational Airbus Defence and Space division. Work on what would become the C-295 was started during the 1990s as a derivative of the successful CASA/IPTN CN-235 transport aircraft. The C-295 has been acquired by multiple nations including Spain, India, Indonesia, Egypt, Poland, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Portugal, Ireland and others.
Beyond its use as a tactical transporter, the C-295 is capable of performing a wide variety of missions effectively. These include parachute and cargo dropping, electronic signals intelligence (ELINT), medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), and maritime patrol. Some of the equipment for adapting the aircraft to performing various roles has been mounted onto pallets, allowing for its rapid installation and removal. On account of the lack of sales achieved by the CN-235 in the commercial aviation segment, although civil certification was obtained as to facilitate its use by government agencies, a commercial version of the C-295 was not pursued for some time by the company.
