해상초계기 스페인, C295MPA/MSA 초계기 16기 주문

[위종민]

스페인이 P-3 대체기로 C295MPA/MSA 16기를 주문했네요. 기사 계약금액은 16억 9,500만 유로입니다. 에어버스의 보도자료를 전재한 NAVAL TODAY의 기사엔 대잠초계기와 해상초계기의 주문 숫자는 나와있지 않은데, 디펜스뉴스의 보도로는 MPA가 6대, MSA가 10대라고 합니다. 

https://www.navaltoday.com/2023/12/21/spain-places-e1-6-billion-order-for-16-c295-aircraft-from-airbus/

Spain places €1.6 billion order for 16 C295 aircraft from Airbus

Spain places €1.6 billion order for 16 C295 aircraft from Airbus

• VESSELS

December 21, 2023, by Fatima Bahtić

The Spanish Ministry of Defence (MoD) has ordered 16 Airbus C295 aircraft in maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) configuration and maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA) configuration. 

Airbus

The C295 MPA will conduct the missions performed by the P-3 Orion fleet, which were retired at the end of 2022. It will be equipped to carry out anti-submarine, anti-surface warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Likewise, it will be able to carry armaments such as torpedoes and other types of weapon systems. 

These new aircraft will enable the Spanish Air and Space Force and the Spanish Navy to strengthen the national anti-submarine warfare capability as well as increase and enhance its surveillance, reconnaissance and search & rescue units.

The contract also includes training systems (Full Flight Simulator and Mission System Simulator) and an initial logistics support package.

“The aircraft will be fully designed and manufactured in Spain, fostering the national industrial defence footprint and sovereignty,” said Mike Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space.

“In particular, the Maritime Patrol version is the most complex C295 mission configuration to date. A major development project that will bring together the latest technologies to provide an operational advantage to our customer.”

The MPA configuration will be highly connected and will be able to operate in a collaborative mode with other platforms in different domains. The aircraft can become a flying command-and-control centre, providing the Spanish Armed Forces with the versatility to carry out a wide range of missions.

The C295 MSA is the natural replacement for the CN-235 VIGMA aircraft fleet, which have been in service with the Spanish Air and Space Force since 2008. It will be primarily equipped for maritime and overland operations such as anti-smuggling, anti-illegal immigration and anti-drug trafficking operations, as well as national and international search-and-rescue missions.

There will be a high degree of synergy between both configurations. The Spanish Air and Space Force also operates a fleet of 13 Airbus C295 in transport configuration.

The aircraft will be assembled at Airbus’ military facilities in Seville. The contract amounts to €1.695 billion. 

https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2023/12/21/spain-orders-airbus-maritime-patrol-surveillance-aircraft-for-2b/

Spain orders Airbus maritime patrol, surveillance aircraft for $2B

Spain orders Airbus maritime patrol, surveillance aircraft for $2B

By Rudy Ruitenberg

 Dec 22, 01:32 AM

Spanish C295 aircraft take flight. (Airbus)

PARIS — Spain has ordered 16 Airbus C295 aircraft in maritime patrol and surveillance configurations for €1.7 billion (U.S. $1.9 billion), Airbus announced Wednesday.

Six maritime patrol variants will come equipped for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare missions, replacing the Spanish P-3 Orion fleet that retired at the end of 2022, Airbus said. Equipment for each of these aircraft includes a magnetic anomaly detector and sonobuoys for submarine detection; a multimode radar for long-range target detection; and satellite communications technology.

These aircraft will also carry weapons, including torpedoes, and will be “highly connected” so they can operate as flying command-and-control centers, according to the French company.

The remaining 10 C295 aircraft in the maritime surveillance configuration are to replace Spain’s aging CN-235 fleet, which entered operations in 1988, according to the Air Force.

Airbus will equip the new planes for anti-smuggling, anti-illegal migration and anti-drug trafficking operations, as well as search and rescue missions, the firm said.

Spain already operates a fleet of 13 C295 aircraft in a transport configuration, and the two maritime versions will have a high degree of synergy, the manufacturer said.

Assembly will take place at the Airbus military facilities in Seville, Spain. The country expects to receive the first C295 in the maritime patrol configuration in 2027; the first surveillance configuration the year after; and delivery of the final aircraft in 2031. CASA, a predecessor company of Airbus, designed and first manufactured the C295.

The contract includes training systems, such as a full flight simulator, as well an initial logistics support package, Airbus said. The government approved the budget to buy the C295 aircraft in June and signed off on the contract in September.

The C295 has been an export success for Airbus in Spain, with total orders for 283 planes at the end of November, of which 216 were delivered so far. The company in September handed over the first of 56 C295 aircraft ordered by the Indian Air Force.

The aircraft is powered by two Pratt & Whitney turboprops and has a maximum takeoff weight of 23 metric tons. The armed maritime patrol version can operate for two and a half hours at a distance of 800 nautical miles from takeoff, and six and a half hours at a distance of 400 nautical miles, according to Airbus.

[백선호]

에어버스로 합병되기 전 스페인의 CASA가 만든 CN-235를 잡아늘린 것이 C295이니 역시 '국산품 애용'을 한 것이네요.

[위종민]

31년 전 92년 6월 월간 항공에 실렸던 CASA CN-235의 광고입니다. 이 기체 도입한 지도 30년이 다 돼 가네요.

[강준구]

당면한 위협이 강도가 높지 않으니, 저런 선택을 할 수 있겠다 싶습니다. 6대의 P-3M을 16대의 CN-295로 대체하는군요.

[위종민]

CN-235와 C212 해상초계형을 9기, 3기 운용중인데 MSA는 CN-235를 직접 대체하는 것 같습니다. 수송기 개조한 대잠초계기로 P-3 대체하는 건 첫 사례인 것 같은데 말씀대로 위협의 강도가 낮아서 그런 듯 합니다.

[강준구]

결국 중국과 러시아로부터 직접적인 위협을 받는 국가들(미국, 한국, 일본, 인도 등)이나 영향력을 유지하고자 하는 국가들(영국, 프랑스 등)을 제외하면, P-8과 같은 고성능 대잠 초계기는 판매가 쉽지 않은 것 같습니다.
CN-295, ATR-72 등 저성능 기체에 대한 수요도 꽤 있어보입니다.