In May, the Royal Thai Air Force signed a contract for two Airbus C295 turboprop tactical transports, which will be operated by the 46th Wing Division from Phitsanulok Air Base.
Simultaneously, the Royal Thai Navy announced that it is acquiring two Airbus C295 aircraft to be operated from U-Tapao Air Base in Sattahip. These aircraft will be capable of detecting, classifying, and identifying targets at sea or on land, functioning effectively in both day and night conditions, and will be fitted with an Electro-Optical/Infra-Red (EO/IR) sensor suite.
Thailand has operated three C295s with the Royal Thai Army since 2016, conducting cargo and troop transport missions. The aircraft will be assembled at Airbus Defence and Space facilities in Seville, Spain, with the first delivery expected in the first half of 2029. Airbus has a partnership with Thai Aviation Industries (TAI) to support and maintain the C295 fleet through advanced training.
The twin-turboprop C295 in transport configuration can carry 70 troops or 49 paratroopers, take off and land on unprepared runways, perform cargo and paratrooper drops, and undertake medical evacuation. Thailand is one of seven countries in the Asia-Pacific region to operate the C295, the largest of which is the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Airbus has already delivered 16 C295s from the initially planned batch of 16 aircraft to the IAF from its San Pablo site in Seville, Spain, with the remaining 40 aircraft on order to be delivered from the TATA Advanced Systems Ltd facility in Vadodara, India. This is the first time a foreign aircraft ordered by the IAF has not been produced under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).
The Airbus C295 will replace the IAF’s ageing twin-turboprop British Aerospace 748M transport aircraft, the first four of which were delivered in 1961. The remaining 68 were manufactured under licence by HAL.
by David Oliver
