The Polish Ministry of Defence has contracted Airbus Defence and Space to supply and install a C295 full flight simulator (FFS).
The FFS is for the Polish Air Force’s (PAF) Airbus C295 aircraft fleet and will be deployed in the Krakow C295 training centre at the Balice Krakow Air Base, where the PAF’s C295s are located.
Under the contract, Airbus will also provide the associated training for FFS instructors and maintenance technicians of the PAF.
Military Aircraft business line HO Light and Medium / P3 Services Javier Rivera said: "We are very proud that the Polish Air Force is showing its trust in Airbus Defence and Space training in the same way that they trust our robust and reliable C295."
The company will deliver the FFS in 2017, when it will enter operational service to train about 40 PAF crews a year.
The Polish Air Force took delivery of an initial batch of C295s between 2003 and 2005, followed by additional units in 2007 and 2008, to replace its fleet of Antonov An-26 transport helicopters.
Powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW127G turboprop engines, the C-295 is a stretched derivative of the CN-235 transporter and is designed to perform tactical airlift, search-and-rescue (SAR), maritime patrol and environmental surveillance missions.
The aircraft can conduct short take-offs and landing on semi-prepared runways. It also has a high-wing, rear-loader design that enables easy loading of mission pallets, passengers, cargo and litters for medical evacuation, as well as communication and logistic duties or paratrooping operations.
Launched in 2001, the medium-sized tactical airlifter has also been sold to Algeria, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Finland, Jordan, Portugal and Spain.
Image: Representatives at the moment of signing the contract. Photo: courtesy of Airbus Defence and Space.
