Ireland receives final C295 aircraft

The arrival of the third and final C295 into Casement Aerodrome on 7 October marked a significant milestone in Ireland's wider investment in its fixed-wing dual-role capabilities. (Irish Defence Forces )

Ireland has taken delivery of its third and final Airbus Defence and Space (DS) C295 aircraft, and the first to be configured solely for transport rather than maritime patrol.

Aircraft tail number 286 was flown into Casement Aerodrome (also known as Baldonnel Aerodrome) near Dublin on 7 October, completing a EUR300 million (USD349 million) programme to acquire two maritime patrol and one transport C295W (winglet) aircraft launched in December 2019.

“This is the largest single equipment project in Defence Forces history and reflects the government's continued commitment to strengthening airlift, logistics, and medical support for operations at home and overseas,” the Irish Defence Forces said of the procurement.

All three C295s will be operated by the Irish Air Corps' No 1 Operations Wing, 101 Squadron. This transport-configured airframe will be used for troop and cargo transport, special forces, as well as aeromedical evacuation work.

The C295s now received by Ireland include some of the features of the new enhanced version of the aircraft that was revealed in November 2019. This new C295 configuration is built around an enhanced avionics suite, as well as other system and performance improvements.

To date, Airbus DS has delivered 238 of 311 C295s ordered by 35 countries (and one private company).

For more information on Ireland's C295 programme, please see Ireland completes receipt of C295 maritime patrol aircraft .