Article Posted on : - Apr 05, 2011

Airbus Military C295.

SANTIAGO (BNS): The Chilean Navy has received the first Airbus Military C295 in its anti-submarine warfare (ASW) configuration.

Based on the Maritime Patrol (MPA) configuration of the aircraft, the C295 ASW is the first ASW type designed and certified in Europe, which will enter into service since the 1960s-vintage Bréguet Atlantic.

The new aircraft will replace the veteran and ageing P-3 Orion or Bréguet Atlantic fleets of the navy.

The new model is the latest variant of the successful C295 family of multirole aircraft. Launched in 1996, it has been proved in many military roles and civic missions for the benefit of society.

The aircraft is equipped with two underwing hard points to carry weapons or other stores and boasts a comprehensive suite of sensors including search radar, digital avionics that are compatible with night-vision goggles (NVG), automatic identification system, acoustic system and a magnetic anomaly detector.

The data from all these sensors are processed by the Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS).

This C295 ASW is part of a three aircraft order placed by the Chilean Navy in October 2007. The first one, a C295 MPA, was delivered in December 2009.