Spain receives first Airbus C295W MSA for SAR and maritime surveillance
The aircraft is the first of eight C295W MSA platforms ordered to replace Spain’s aging CN-235 VIGMA fleet
The Spanish Ministry of Defense has received its first Airbus C295W Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (MSA), marking the start of a fleet renewal program intended to strengthen search and rescue (SAR), maritime security, and surveillance operations.
The aircraft, delivered at Airbus’ San Pablo facility in Seville, is the first C295W MSA to enter Spanish Air and Space Force service. It forms part of a wider 16-aircraft order placed in 2023, split between eight maritime surveillance aircraft and eight maritime patrol aircraft.
The new C295W MSA will replace aging CN-235 VIGMA aircraft currently operated by 802 Squadron from Gando Air Base in the Canary Islands and 803 Squadron from Getafe, near Madrid.
The Spanish Air and Space Force said the aircraft had been assembled in Seville and delivered two and a half years after the contract was signed in December 2023.
Airbus said the aircraft had been configured for national and international SAR missions, as well as maritime security operations and efforts to counter illicit trafficking.
The aircraft is fitted with a multimode maritime search radar beneath the forward fuselage and an electro-optical/infrared turret under the nose, supporting day and night detection and surveillance missions.
Airbus is expected to deliver two additional C295W MSA aircraft to Spain this year. The first C295W maritime patrol aircraft is not scheduled for delivery until 2028.
Image courtesy of Airbus.