Spain Orders 18 C295 Tactical Transport Aircraft for Paratrooper Deployment and Pilot Training
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Spain’s Ministry of Defence has ordered 18 Airbus C295 tactical transport aircraft to modernize pilot training and paratrooper deployment for the Spanish Air and Space Force. The move strengthens day-to-day readiness while simplifying logistics by consolidating light transport missions on a single aircraft type.
On 23 December 2025, Airbus reported that Spain’s Ministry of Defence has ordered 18 C295 transport aircraft to replace the CN235 and C212 fleets used to train Spanish Air and Space Force pilots and paratroopers. The decision comes as European air forces place renewed emphasis on day-to-day readiness, including the ability to move troops, sustain airborne units, and keep training pipelines resilient. Beyond replacing ageing airframes, the programme is designed to standardise Spain’s light tactical transport fleet around a single platform to simplify logistics and operations.
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Spain has ordered 18 Airbus C295 tactical transport aircraft to replace its ageing CN235 and C212 fleets, strengthening paratrooper deployment and pilot training while standardizing its light airlift capability (Picture Source: Airbus)
The C295 ordered by Spain is the transport configuration of Airbus’ twin turboprop tactical airlifter, a format intended to cover routine passenger and cargo lift as well as airborne training sorties. Airbus states that this configuration can carry up to 70 troops or 50 paratroopers, supports cargo and paratrooper drops, can conduct medical evacuation, and is designed to take off and land from unprepared runways, a key attribute for dispersed operations and austere training areas. Airbus also describes the aircraft as able to carry up to eight tonnes of payload, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127G turboprop engines, with endurance quoted up to 13 hours depending on mission profile, which together underpin its utility for long training days and multi leg transport tasks.
Madrid’s choice also reflects continuity in Spain’s broader C295 operating experience and industrial footprint. Airbus notes that, once this contract is fully absorbed, the Spanish Air and Space Force will operate a total fleet of 46 C295s across transport, maritime patrol and surveillance roles, indicating a deliberate move toward a family of variants built around common airframe and support concepts. Airbus further highlights the platform’s export footprint, stating that the C295 has accumulated more than 710,000 flight hours and has been ordered 329 times by 38 countries, while final assembly for the type is conducted at Airbus Defence and Space facilities in Seville, anchoring the programme in a national production base.
Spain is structuring deliveries and roles around two dedicated training hubs, which reveals how the aircraft will be employed rather than simply procured. Airbus explains that the agreement is split into two batches: a first group assigned to the Military Air Transport School at Matacán Air Base in Salamanca for pilot training and the transport of passengers, paratroopers and cargo, with deliveries from 2026 to 2028, replacing CN235s currently used for those tasks. A second group, aimed specifically at manual and automatic paratrooper drops and cargo drops, will go to the Military Parachuting School at Alcantarilla Air Base in Murcia, with deliveries scheduled from 2030 to 2032 to replace C212s currently performing that role.
The contract architecture suggests Spain is buying a training and readiness system as much as an aircraft batch, with cost and availability implications that matter in peacetime tempo and crisis surge alike. Airbus says the deal includes an integrated ground training system tailored to the customer, combining several flight simulators, computer aided teaching tools, and training management software for both Salamanca and Murcia, with the explicit aim of improving the efficiency of instructional flights. It also includes comprehensive support for the C295 fleet at the Military Transport School, covering maintenance, material management, and the management of the training centre through December 2032; while Airbus did not disclose the contract’s financial value, the inclusion of long duration support and training infrastructure indicates a multi year commitment that typically reduces lifecycle risk by stabilising availability, spares and training throughput.
Spain’s order signals a clear intent to secure the practical foundations of air mobility and airborne training while tightening national control over a critical enabler. By replacing CN235 and C212 fleets with 18 new C295s delivered in two phases, Spain is aligning pilot formation, parachute training, and light airlift around a platform designed for austere operations and supported by a dedicated simulator and fleet support package extending to 2032. The end state described by Airbus, a 46 aircraft C295 fleet spread across transport, maritime patrol and surveillance roles, points to a broader effort to standardise capabilities and sustain industrial capacity at home, keeping readiness and sovereignty objectives tied to a programme Spain already operates at scale.
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Spain’s Ministry of Defence has ordered 18 Airbus C295 tactical transport aircraft to modernize pilot training and paratrooper deployment for the Spanish Air and Space Force. The move strengthens day-to-day readiness while simplifying logistics by consolidating light transport missions on a single aircraft type.
On 23 December 2025, Airbus reported that Spain’s Ministry of Defence has ordered 18 C295 transport aircraft to replace the CN235 and C212 fleets used to train Spanish Air and Space Force pilots and paratroopers. The decision comes as European air forces place renewed emphasis on day-to-day readiness, including the ability to move troops, sustain airborne units, and keep training pipelines resilient. Beyond replacing ageing airframes, the programme is designed to standardise Spain’s light tactical transport fleet around a single platform to simplify logistics and operations.
Spain has ordered 18 Airbus C295 tactical transport aircraft to replace its ageing CN235 and C212 fleets, strengthening paratrooper deployment and pilot training while standardizing its light airlift capability (Picture Source: Airbus)
The C295 ordered by Spain is the transport configuration of Airbus’ twin turboprop tactical airlifter, a format intended to cover routine passenger and cargo lift as well as airborne training sorties. Airbus states that this configuration can carry up to 70 troops or 50 paratroopers, supports cargo and paratrooper drops, can conduct medical evacuation, and is designed to take off and land from unprepared runways, a key attribute for dispersed operations and austere training areas. Airbus also describes the aircraft as able to carry up to eight tonnes of payload, powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127G turboprop engines, with endurance quoted up to 13 hours depending on mission profile, which together underpin its utility for long training days and multi leg transport tasks.
Madrid’s choice also reflects continuity in Spain’s broader C295 operating experience and industrial footprint. Airbus notes that, once this contract is fully absorbed, the Spanish Air and Space Force will operate a total fleet of 46 C295s across transport, maritime patrol and surveillance roles, indicating a deliberate move toward a family of variants built around common airframe and support concepts. Airbus further highlights the platform’s export footprint, stating that the C295 has accumulated more than 710,000 flight hours and has been ordered 329 times by 38 countries, while final assembly for the type is conducted at Airbus Defence and Space facilities in Seville, anchoring the programme in a national production base.
Spain is structuring deliveries and roles around two dedicated training hubs, which reveals how the aircraft will be employed rather than simply procured. Airbus explains that the agreement is split into two batches: a first group assigned to the Military Air Transport School at Matacán Air Base in Salamanca for pilot training and the transport of passengers, paratroopers and cargo, with deliveries from 2026 to 2028, replacing CN235s currently used for those tasks. A second group, aimed specifically at manual and automatic paratrooper drops and cargo drops, will go to the Military Parachuting School at Alcantarilla Air Base in Murcia, with deliveries scheduled from 2030 to 2032 to replace C212s currently performing that role.
The contract architecture suggests Spain is buying a training and readiness system as much as an aircraft batch, with cost and availability implications that matter in peacetime tempo and crisis surge alike. Airbus says the deal includes an integrated ground training system tailored to the customer, combining several flight simulators, computer aided teaching tools, and training management software for both Salamanca and Murcia, with the explicit aim of improving the efficiency of instructional flights. It also includes comprehensive support for the C295 fleet at the Military Transport School, covering maintenance, material management, and the management of the training centre through December 2032; while Airbus did not disclose the contract’s financial value, the inclusion of long duration support and training infrastructure indicates a multi year commitment that typically reduces lifecycle risk by stabilising availability, spares and training throughput.
Spain’s order signals a clear intent to secure the practical foundations of air mobility and airborne training while tightening national control over a critical enabler. By replacing CN235 and C212 fleets with 18 new C295s delivered in two phases, Spain is aligning pilot formation, parachute training, and light airlift around a platform designed for austere operations and supported by a dedicated simulator and fleet support package extending to 2032. The end state described by Airbus, a 46 aircraft C295 fleet spread across transport, maritime patrol and surveillance roles, points to a broader effort to standardise capabilities and sustain industrial capacity at home, keeping readiness and sovereignty objectives tied to a programme Spain already operates at scale.
