The first Airbus C295 aircraft, bought by the Government of Canada for the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue Aircraft Replacement (FWSAR) project has arrived 19 Wing, Canadian Forces Base Comox, in British Columbia, Canada.
The aircraft, designated CC-295 for the Canadian customer, touched down in its home base recently and is the first of the 16 aircraft that were contracted in December 2016.
Also, the contract includes all In-Service Support elements, training and engineering services, the construction of a new training centre in Comox, British Columbia, and maintenance and support services.
While talking about the arrival, Airbus Defence and Space Chief Executive Officer, Dirk Hoke said: “Airbus is really proud to be able to celebrate this important milestone: the arrival of the first out of 16 Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue C295 at the Canadian Forces Base Comox.
“Thanks to the excellent collaboration with Canadian officials we have overcome the challenges caused by COVID-19 and we were able to deliver the aircraft. Despite the current pandemic, we are confident of achieving the program target of six deliveries by the end of this year. We look forward to our continued collaboration and to the C295 Canada.“
So far, Airbus has officially delivered three aircraft, the second of which will arrive Canada in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, deliveries will continue until 2022.
