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Spain Airbus Defence and Space
C-295
Spanish-designed twin-turboprop tactical airlifter built by Airbus Defence and Space in Seville, sized between the smaller CN-235 and larger C-130 Hercules. It serves as the Spanish Air Force's primary medium transport and has been exported to more than 40 countries in transport, maritime patrol and special-mission variants.
In service since 2001 · 40 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
480
km/h
5,400
km range
9,144
m ceiling
💲 ≈ $40,000,000, Approximate flyaway cost
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
National export licensing
Subject to Spain export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Widely fielded · 40 operators
In service since 2001. Status: active · ~285 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$100M – $140M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~35 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the C-295 can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 480 km/h Bottom 3% of transport aircraft
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 5,400 km Stronger than 44% of transport aircraft
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 9,144 m Bottom 9% of transport aircraft
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 24.5 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 25.81 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 8.6 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 11,200 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 23,200 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 3
- Cargo payload
Maximum cargo the transport can carry. Higher means more lift per sortie.
- 9,250 kg Bottom 4% of transport aircraft
- Troop capacity
Number of embarked troops/passengers (IFV, APC, transport). Higher carries more.
- 71 Bottom 5% of transport aircraft
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- 2× Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127G turboprop
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 2
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turboprop
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- search radar (maritime patrol variant), electro-optical/infrared turret (special-mission variant)
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $40,000,000
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 285 Stronger than 82% of transport aircraft
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 40 Top 3% of transport aircraft
Specifications compiled from public Airbus Defence and Space and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules 
Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC) KJ-2000 Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the Airbus Defence and Space C-295? +
The Airbus Defence and Space C-295 has a maximum speed of 480 km/h.
What is the range of the Airbus Defence and Space C-295? +
The Airbus Defence and Space C-295 has a maximum range of 5,400 km.
How much does the Airbus Defence and Space C-295 weigh? +
The Airbus Defence and Space C-295 has a combat weight of 23,200 kg.
How many crew does the Airbus Defence and Space C-295 require? +
The Airbus Defence and Space C-295 requires a crew of 3.
What engine does the Airbus Defence and Space C-295 use? +
The Airbus Defence and Space C-295 is powered by the 2× Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127G turboprop.
What is the Airbus Defence and Space C-295 used for? +
The Airbus Defence and Space C-295 is a transport & tanker typically used for isr.
How many countries operate the Airbus Defence and Space C-295? +
The Airbus Defence and Space C-295 is operated by 40 countries.
How much does the Airbus Defence and Space C-295 cost? +
The Airbus Defence and Space C-295 has an approximate unit cost of 40,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.
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