Mexico becomes launch customer for new Airbas C295W. Thanks to the winglets, the C295W tactical airlifter will be able to transport more payload to a longer distance with around a 4% fuel savings, even in hot and high conditions. The Mexican Navy has specified the winglets for two C295s, for which the order was already announced, and winglets will be standard for all new C295s ordered from now on.
«The advantage of the winglets in hot and high conditions means that the development of the C295W is a key step for our highly successful light and medium transport family. And it is a particular pleasure to deliver this first aircraft to Mexico, which already has the biggest Airbus Defence and Space transport fleet in Latin America», said Antonio Rodríguez Barberán, Head of Commercial for Airbus Defence and Space in Latin America.
«The C295 has served us well for many years. We had some concerns about operating a mixed fleet of aircraft with and without winglets, but when we studied the enhanced performance of this new version it was clear that it would bring very significant operating benefits for us that could not be ignored», said Rear Admiral from Mexican Navy, José María García Macedo.
Airbas C295
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 knots/299 mph/480 km/h. Fitted with a retractable landing gear and a pressurised cabin, it can cruise at altitudes up to 25,000 feet/7,620 m, while retaining remarkable Short Take-Off & Landing (STOL) performance from unprepared short, soft and rough airstrips, as well as low level flight characteristics.
Being 12.7 m/41 feet 8 inch 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, the C295 can carry much more palletised cargo (up to five 88 inch/2.23 m × 108 inch/2.74 m standard HCU-6E pallets) with direct off-loading through its rear ramp door.
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. A key to C295 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 civil and military certification of the C295 ensures compliance with the international airworthiness regulations and safety standards, including the stringent Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 25 requirements.
Specifications
| Dimensions | |
| Overall Length | 24.50 m/80 feet 3 inch |
| Overall Height | 8.65 m/28 feet 5 inch |
| Wing Span | 25.81 m/84 feet 8 inch |
| Cargo Hold Length (ramp excluded) | 12.70 m/41 feet 8 inch |
| Cargo Hold Height | 1.90 m/6 feet 3 inch |
| Cargo Hold Width | 2.70 m/8 feet 10 inch |
| Cargo Hold Volume | 64 m3/2,260 feet3 |
| Weights | |
| Maximum Take Off Weight | 23,200 kg/51,000 lbs |
| Maximum Landing Weight | 23,200 kg/51,000 lbs |
| Internal Fuel Weight | 6,150 kg/13,600 lbs |
| Maximum Payload | 9,250 kg/20,400 lbs |
| Engine (×2) | |
| Pratt & Whitney PW-127G | 2,645 shp (up to 2,920 shp with Auxiliary Power Reserve, APR) /1,970 kW |
| Performance | |
| Maximum Operating Altitude | 9,100 m/30,000 feet |
| Maximum Cruise Speed (TAS*) | 260 knots/299 mph/480 km/h |
| Range | |
| Range with Maximum Payload (9,250 kg/20,400 lbs) | 700 NM/1,300 km |
| Range with 6,000 kg/13,200 lbs Payload | 2,000 NM/3,700 km |
| Range with 3,000 kg/6,600 lbs Payload | 2,500 NM/4,600 km |
| Maximum Range (Ferry) | 2,900 NM/5,400 km |
* The true airspeed (TAS; also KTAS, for Knots True AirSpeed) of an aircraft is the speed of the aircraft relative to the airmass in which it is flying
