A
IRBUS CARRIED OUT
the initial ight of
Canada’s rst C295 at
its Seville, Spain, facility
on July 4.
The Royal Canadian
Air Force (RCAF) is acquiring 16 of the
aircraft in support of its Fixed Wing
Search and Rescue (FWSAR) aircraft
replacement program and will operate
the aircraft under the designation
CC-295. Deliveries of the SAR aircraftwill begin by the end of 2019 and
the aircraft will initially support
operational testing by the RCAF. Five
CC-295s are currently in various stages
of assembly.
Canada awarded the contract to
Airbus in December 2016. Besides
the aircraft, it provides for all in-
service support elements including,
training and engineering services,
the construction of a new training
center in Comox, British Columbia,CANADA’S
NEW SAR
AIRCRAFT FLIES
INDIA PLANS ADDITIONAL
P-8 PURCHASE
THE INDIAN MINISTRY of Defence
has approved the procurement
of 10 additional P-8I maritime
patrol aircraft at a cost of around
$3bn. Known as the Neptune in
Indian service, the aircraft will be
purchased directly from Boeing.
Weapons, radar, and related
equipment will be procured
through the US Foreign Military
Sales (FMS) program. A contractsigning is expected to take place in
2020 and the rst Neptune could be
delivered to India by 2023. India’s
initial eight P-8Is are operated by
Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS)
312 from INS Rajali, Tamil Nadu,
which is also known as Arakkonam
Naval Air Station. A further four P-8Is
were ordered from Boeing in 2016
and delivery of those aircraft will
begin in 2021.‘HUEYS’ FOR PANAMA
THE US TRANSFERRED six UH-1H
helicopters to Panama’s Ministry of
Security during a ceremony held
at Teniente Octavio Rodríguez
Garrido Air Base in Panama City on
June 28. The ‘Hueys’ will be used by
Panama’s National Naval Air Service
(SENAN) and the National BorderService (SENAFRONT) for search
and rescue, medical evacuation, and
surveillance duties. The transfer, which
is valued at around $24 million, was
arranged through US Department
of State’s International Narcotics and
Law Enforcement A airs’ O ce of
Aviation (INL/A)SINGAPORE RETIRES STRATOTANKERS
THE REPUBLIC OF Singapore Air
Force formally concluded operations
with the KC-135R on June 26, when
112 Squadron conducted its nal
Stratotanker ight. The venerable
Boeing is being replaced after 21
years by the Airbus A330 Multi-Role
Tanker Transport and the squadron
received the third of a planned eet
of six on June 20. The RSAF acquired
four KC-135As from the US Air
Force in 1996 and deliveries beganin 1999. Prior to entering service,
the aircraft received numerous
modi cations that included the
installation of CFM56 turbofan
engines, modernized cockpits,
defensive countermeasures and a
multi-point refueling system. The air
arm received its rst A330 MRTT in
August 2018.The fi rst CC-295 for the Royal Canadian Air
Force carried out its fi rst test fl ight from the
Airbus facility in Seville, Spain on July 4
wearing the civil test registration EC-005.
AirbusThe fi rst P-8I airframe undertook its maiden fl ight in September 2011,
and the initial example to be delivered departed Seattle, Washington
in May 2013 before being formally inducted into service during a
ceremony at INS Rajali, Arakkonam. Boeing A RSAF KC-135R lands at RAAF Base Darwin for the start of Exercise ‘Pitch
Black 2018’. CPL David Gibbs/Commonwealth of Australia[NEWS] WORLD
18 September 2019 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
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