Brunei formally welcomed the arrival of the final two Airbus C295MW aircraft at Rimba Air Force Base on 20 April 2026, with these transports bearing the tail numbers ‘TUDB 504’ and ‘TUDB 505’.
Their ferry journey to Brunei from the Airbus Defence & Space production facility in Spain commenced on 14 April.
These aircraft now join two other C295MW aircraft that are already operational within the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF). The first pair of medium transports had arrived in Brunei on 24 January 2024, before being formally inducted on 14 February the same year.
Bandar Seri Begawan had signed an acquisition contract for the quartet of aircraft in December 2022.
The Brunei Ministry of Defence said the latest handover of these C295MWs “marks a significant milestone in the modernisation of the RBAirF, further enhancing its airlift capabilities in support of national and regional missions”.
To date, the RBAF’s C295 fleet has completed 518 flights that have encompassed eight Southeast Asian nations. These include disaster relief flights to the Philippines following Typhon Trami in 2024, and to Myanmar last year.
The C295s replace older CN235-110M aircraft operated by the RBAirF’s No. 15 Squadron, and their primary missions include transport, search and rescue, and disaster relief.
by Gordon Arthur
