Three down, one to go for Thai medium tactical airlift requirement
One of the two C295Ws in service with the Royal Thai Army. (Photo: Airbus)
The Department of Army Transportation in the Royal Thai Army (RTA) has ordered another C295W medium tactical airlift aircraft from Airbus.
Neither Airbus nor the Thai MoD disclosed the financial aspects of procuring the aircraft, although Shephard Defence Insight puts the unit cost of the baseline C295 at $30 million.
The RTA already operates two C295Ws in the 21st Aviation Battalion but, on 10 February, it announced plans to procure a single additional medium-lift transport aircraft.
The army uses the C295W for static line and freefall parachute training by the Special Warfare School, among other missions.
The RTA has a requirement for a fleet of four medium transport aircraft to replace the same number of Airbus C-212s that have been in service since 1994, MoD spokesman Lt Gen Kongcheep Tantrawanich confirmed on 22 June.
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