The Spanish Air Force will receive 8 units of this maritime surveillance variant

The Spanish Air Force is getting closer to having new aircraft for maritime surveillance missions.

Airbus shows the future Spanish C295W military aircraft in three configurations
Spanish Air Force will receive 16 C295W MPA/MSA: this is how these aircraft are for maritime missions

This afternoon, at 3:29 PM CET, Airbus Defence released four images of the first three C295W MSA military aircraft for the Spanish Air Force. These will be the first maritime patrol aircraft of this type operated by Spain and also the first C295s of the W variant for the Air Force, which currently only has C295Ms.

These three maritime patrol aircraft have been displayed by Airbus Defence on its flight line in Seville. “After completing all ground and paint tests, the three aircraft are about to fly for the first time”, the European company stated. It’s worth recalling that in June 2023, Spain’s acquisition of 16 C295Ws dedicated to maritime operations was announced. Initially, the plan was to acquire 6 MPA (maritime patrol) and 10 MSA (maritime surveillance) aircraft, but ultimately, the order will consist of 8 MPAs and 8 MSAs. Furthermore, at the end of December, it was revealed that Spain had purchased 18 C295W MTA tactical transport aircraft to replace the CN235 and C212 fleets dedicated to training pilots and paratroopers in the Spanish Air Force.

“These aircraft will perform vital maritime and overland operations: from anti-smuggling and anti-illegal immigration to anti-drug trafficking missions, as well as serving as a primary asset for national and international search-and-rescue (SAR) operations”, Airbus Defence stated. Two months ago, Airbus Defence showcased four of the future Spanish C295Ws on its assembly line, specifically a C295W MSA, a C295W MPA, and two C295W MTAs. Furthermore, on January 27, Airbus Defence showcased the first Spanish C295W MSA rolling off the assembly line, the S-239, already painted and marked, with the provisional civil registration EC-239. This aircraft made its first flight on November 11, 2025, still unpainted.

The provisional civilian registrations of these aircraft are not visible in the photos released by Airbus. These first three units each have two numbers painted on their cockpit windows: 01, 02, and 03. The aircraft display the emblem of Wing 46 under the inscription “Ejército del Aire” (Air Army), so it is likely that they will be assigned to the 802 Squadron based at Gando, Gran Canaria, a unit dedicated to search and rescue missions. The three aircraft shown today also include the acronym “SAR” (for search and rescue) on their noses.

These aircraft share two common elements with the MPA variant: the black dome of the multimode maritime search radar, located at the bottom of the forward section of the fuselage, and the small EO/IR (electro-optical/infrared) turret at the bottom of the nose, which includes high-definition cameras and infrared sensors for day/night detection.


The front of the fuselage of the Irish Air Corps C295W MSA 284. We see the SatCom antenna at the top, the maritime search radar at the bottom, and the EO/IR turret on the underside of the nose. (Photo: Óglaigh na hÉireann).

One interesting fact is that these aircraft do not include the black SatCom antenna that we saw on the Irish Air Corps’ C295W MSAs in October (above). These antennas provide high-speed satellite connectivity for data, audio, and video transmissions. In July 2024, Infodefensa reported that the Spanish C295W MPA (maritime patrol) aircraft will indeed carry this accessory, specifically the Viasat GAT-5530 model, in order to be able to link with the Spanish Spainsat NG satellites.