Canadian C295 rolled out

 
The first Canadian C295 SAR, to be designated CC-295 by the RCAF in its distinctive search and rescue colours. It wears the serial number 295501 and has construction number 183. Airbus

The first Airbus C295, purchased by the Government of Canada for the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) Fixed Wing Search and Rescue Aircraft Replacement (FWSAR) programme, rolled out of the paint shop showing off its final livery at the Airbus facility in Seville, Spain on October 8. It had first been rolled off the final assembly line on March 8, 2019.

The aircraft will now go through the final preparation phase before its delivery to the customer, planned to take place in Spain before the end of the year.

The aircraft’s yellow paint scheme follows a tradition established in the 1970s for search and rescue aircraft, making the aircraft easier to see for those in the air and on the ground. Canada’s December 2016 contract included 16 C295 aircraft and all in-service support elements including, training and engineering services, the construction of a new training centre in Comox, British Columbia, and maintenance and support services.

The aircraft will be based where Canada’s search and rescue squadrons are currently located: Comox, British Columbia; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Trenton, Ontario; and Greenwood, Nova Scotia. They will augment and then replace the nation’s fleet of CC-130 Hercules rescue aircraft.

Considerable progress has been made since the FWSAR programme was announced two-and- a-half years ago: the first aircraft is due to be delivered to a Spanish customer in the coming months; another six aircraft are either completing flight tests or in various stages of final assembly; and seven simulators and training devices are starting up preliminary acceptance tests.

The first RCAF crews started training in late summer 2019 at Airbus’ International Training Centre in Seville, Spain.