Paris Air Show 2015: Saudi Arabia orders four Airbus C295W medium transport aircraft.

Together with the previous orders received from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan and Oman, this new order from Saudi Arabia cements the C295’s position as the market-leading medium transport and patrol aircraft in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Featuring winglets and uprated engines as standard, the C295W provides operators with enhanced performance in all flight phases but is particularly aimed at those operating at “hot and high“ airfields where payload increases in excess of 1,000kg are promised.

In intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) roles such as airborne early warning (AEW) the enhancements increase endurance by 30-60min and permit an operating altitude up to 2,000ft higher than now.

The new features installed on the C295W also provide an overall reduction in fuel consumption of around 4% depending on configuration and conditions.

The engines are the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127 turboprops which power all versions of the C295. New procedures recently certified by Canada and Spain permit operation in the climb and cruise phases at higher power settings at the discretion of the operator. As well as improved hot and high performance, the procedure improves operation over very high terrain such as the Andes or Himalaya mountains with only a minor influence on maintenance cost.