Airbus delivered third and last C295 tactical airlifter to the Philippines

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World Defense & Security News - Philippines
 
 
Airbus delivered third and last C295 tactical airlifter to the Philippines
 
The third and last Airbus' C295 transport plane ordered by the Philippine Air Force (PAF) arrived at the Clark Air Base from Spain on Friday, Dec. 10, 2015. In February 2014, Airbus was selected to supply three C295 planes to PAF at a cost of $118 mn, to enhance help the overall lift capability of the air force. The first two arrived early this year.
     
Airbus delivered third and last C295 tactical airlifter to the Philippines 640 001Philippine Air Force 2nd C295 '140/EC-003' medium lift aircraft
     
The C295 planes are the first batch of brand new military transport aircraft in three decades for the PAF. The last new military transport planes that the Philippines had were F-27 Fokker aircraft in the 1980s.

The third plane with tail number 142 touched down at Clark at 5:51 p.m., said Philippine Air Force spokesperson Col. Enrico Canaya. It left Seville, Spain, last Dec. 4 and made stopovers in several countries. It was flown by pilots of Airbus Defence and Space.

It will still undergo technical inspection and acceptance process before it will be turnover to the Philippine Air Force,” said Canaya.

The planes will be under the 220th Airlift Wing of the Philippine Air Force.

Medium transport planes such as the C295 are used for internal security operations in transport of troops and equipment, according to Canaya.

The timely deployment of troops and supplies is vital to ensure the success of any military operations,” he said.

The Philippine military, one of the weakest in Asia, is building a minimum credible defense amid China’s aggressiveness in the South China Sea. Late last month, the first two of the 12 brand new fighter jets the Philippines ordered arrived from South Korea.