Barring any mishaps, the brand-new Airbus Military C-295
medium transport aircraft, of which one was commissioned on March 30, can serve
the Philippine Air Force (PAF) for a minimum of 20 years.
"That's the main advantage of acquiring a brand-new
aircraft," PAF spokesperson Lt. Col. Enrico Canaya said in an interview
with the PNA.
Aside from this, parts and maintenance services of new
planes are much easier as it is still undergoing production.
Another advantage is that they can be upgraded or modified
much easier than older planes.
Canaya also said that another 15 years can be added to the
life cycle of C-295 once the PAF decides to place the aircraft in SLEP (service
life extension program).
The PAF has an existing order for three C-295s at Airbus
Military.
The contract is worth Php5.29 billion. It was signed last
year.
Training for the first batch composed of four PAF pilots and
24 maintenance crew was done in Seville, Spain and was completed last March 10.
"Succeeding training for pilots will continue this year
in anticipation of the delivery of two more C-295s," Canaya stressed.
The first C-295 arrived at Clark Air Base, Pampanga in the
afternoon of March 22.
Its arrival is five months earlier than the scheduled August
delivery date.
The two remaining planes are expected to be delivered in the
last quarter of 2015.
The C-295 is categorized as medium lift aircraft equivalent
to the Fokker F-27 aircraft being maintained by the 220th Airlift Wing, the
C-295s have rear ramp door similar to that of the C-130s for easier access and
loading/unloading of passengers and cargoes.
It can carry as much as 71 passengers, 50 paratroops, 24
stretchers with five to seven attendants or up to about 20,000 lbs of cargoes.
It is capable of short field landing and takeoff and has a
top speed of 358 miles per hour.
The aircraft departed from Seville , Spain
It was flown into the country by civilian pilots and crew of
Airbus Military.
Airbus won the Department of National Defense medium lift aircraft
program by tendering a bid for Php5.29-billion for three aircraft last year.
This is considerable lower than the Php5.3-billion
stipulated in the contract.
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