Author: Jan Kouba, army.cz|Caption: CASA C-295M
Within the modernization and acquisition projects announced in June by the Chief of General Staff the Ministry of Defence plans to buy two additional CASA C-295W military transport aircraft. The Army also seeks to modernize the existing C-295Ms to meet the SESAR requirements, and the NATO Capability Targets.
The EADS CASA C-295M is a two-engine turbo-propelled tactical transportation aircraft for short and medium distances for transport of personnel and material, manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space in Spain. The Czech Army operates four aircraft. The EADS-CASA company exchanged them for three L-159A ALCAs, two L-159T1s and 130 million Euros, reselling the As to Lewis Fighter Fleet LLC (Texas) later. The 2009 acquisition which allowed to replace the aging Antonov An-26s, was accompanied by overpricing issues and objections about technical flaws of the contract. The C-295s are in service with 15 countries including Canada, Poland, Portugal and Spain.
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The maximum transport capacity of C-295M aircraft for the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic is up to 66 personnel or 46 fully equipped airborne troops. The aircraft can be easily rearranged for medical evacuation transport. C-295M can operate from field air strips, and it is equipped with a system of passive and active protection. The transport comapartment can accommodate palleted cargo up to 9.25 tons. This load can be moved up to 1.2 thousand kilometres. Tactical range of the aircraft with a load of 6000 kg is approximately 3.9 thousand kilometres.
All four CASA C-295Ms are operated by the 242nd Transport Squadron from the 24th Transport Air Base in Kbely, Prague, together with 4 L-410UVP-E Tubolets. The 241st Transport Squadron operates 2 Airbus A319CJs, 1 Bombardier CL-601 Challenger, and 2 Yakovlev Yak-40s.
Modernization of the aircraft:
- In the first phase of the modernization of the CASA C-295M in 2019 and 2020 the requirements of the project EU - SES/SESAR will be met. SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) is a collaborative project to completely overhaul European airspace and its air traffic management (ATM).
- The second phase of the modernization in 2021-2023 will answer to the requirements of the NATO within the Capability Targets, and to the standardization agreement concerning especially the identification friend or foe (IFF) system.
See also: Current Foreign Deployments of the Czech Army
Purchase of 2 CASA C-295W planes:
- The aim is to rise the number of CASA transport aircraft by two because of the limited transport capacity of the currently operated fleet. The purchase will strenghten the capabilites of the CASA fleet to provide transport of personnel and material, and to carry out other required missions for the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. New aircraft will provide transport of the constitutional and government bodies and will replace the 2 currently operated Yak-40's which reach the limits of their service life.
See also: Modernization Projects of the Czech Army