Airbus C295M Ordered by Philippines Lands in Clark Air Base

The Philippines Air Force has received the second of three Airbus C295 airplanes ordered for humanitarian assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) besides troop transport and logistics.

“Pilots of Airbus Defense and Space (ADS), manufacturer of the C295M medium-lift fixed-wing aircraft from Spain, flew the plane to Clark,” Col. Enrico Canaya, PAF spokesman said Wednesday.

The PAF Technical Inspection and Aerospace Committee (TIAC) shall undertake the necessary inspection and acceptance procedures before the aircraft is sent to Villamor Air Base in Pasay City for the formal turnover and blessing ceremonies to be scheduled later, Canaya said.

The Medium Lift Fixed-Wing Aircraft (MLFWA) acquisition project worth P5.29 billion (US $33 million)  for the purchase of three planes is one of the projects nearing completion under the AFP Modernization Program that would boost its capabilities in the medium tactical airlift requirement for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) and transport of troops and logistics.

Canaya said the third aircraft is expected to be delivered before yearend.

“Based on a contract approved in March last year, the supply and delivery of the three aircraft were expected in October this year, February and June next year,” he said.

At present, the Air Force has three operational C-130 cargo planes and the new C295Ms would bolster the relief operations and military capability of the Air Force.

The C295M can carry 70 passengers and is designed for short takeoff and landing that makes the aircraft ideal for re-supply and troop rotation operations in military bases with short runways like Pag-asa Island.

Pag-asa is one of nine areas occupied by Filipinos troops in the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) in the West Philippine Sea.

The KIG is part of the disputed Spratly Islands that is being claimed in whole or in part by the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei.