Royal Thai Navy orders two surveillance-roled C295 airlifters

Bangkok has now ordered C295s for each of its three armed services.

The Royal Thai Navy will introduce a pair of Airbus Defence & Space C295 tactical transports configured for surveillance tasks, with the airframer’s contract announced just days after another of Bangkok’s armed services signed for the twin-turboprop type.

Due for delivery from late-2028, the two naval aircraft “will be able to detect, classify and identify targets at sea or on land… equipped with an electro-optical/infrared sensor suite”, Airbus’s defence unit says.

The assets “will enable surveillance and search and rescue missions, on top of logistics operations”, the company adds.

Once delivered from its San Pablo final assembly site near Seville, Spain, the C295s will be operated from the navy’s U-Tapao air base in Sattahip, Airbus says.

Bangkok had also on 22 May announced an order for two of the airlifters for the Royal Thai Air Force. Noting that the Royal Thai Army already flies three examples, Airbus says: “The C295 has become the tactical transport aircraft of reference for the Thai armed forces.”