Brunei signs contract for acquisition of Airbus C-295MW transport aircraft

 

Contract signing on acquisition of C-295MW aircraft from Airbus. Photo c/o Brunei Darussalam MINDEF.

The Brunei Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has signed a contract with European defense company Airbus Defence and Spain S.A.U. Spain for the acquisition of C-295MW tactical transport aircraft for the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF).

The contract signing took place at the Officers' Mess, Bolkiah Garrison on 02 December 2022, with Yang Mulia Colonel Norsuriati binti Haji Sharbini (ret), Permanent Secretary for Policy, Finance and Administration, and Jose Juan Corcia Palomo, Head of Southeast Asia, Airbus Singapore Pte Ltd on behalf of Airbus Defence and Space.

Also in attendance were Deputy Minister of Defence Yang Mulia Brigadier General (ret) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Abdul Razak bin Haji Abd. Kadir, Commander Royal Brunei Armed Forces Yang Mulia Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi bin Bol Hassan, and other officials of the RBAF and MINDEF.

The C-295MW aircraft, which will be delivered in two batches, will be replacing the RBAirF's sole Indonesian Aerospace CN-2350-110M transport aircraft, which has been in operation since 1997. 

British defense outlet Janes reported that the contract is for three aircraft.

The new aircraft would be used for a variety of missions including airlift, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, and Search and Rescue.

The C-295 is one of the most prolific small tactical transport aircraft in the world, and is also operated by a number of countries in the Southeast Asian region including Indonesian Air Force and the Indonesian National Police, the Philippine Air Force, the Royal Thai Army, and the Vietnam People's Air Force.




[1] Brunei Darussalam Ministry of Defence
[2] Janes
[3] Aviation Week