C295W MSA, the Spanish surveillance plane that guards the coasts and waters of Ireland

Founded in 1924, the Irish Air Corps (Aer-Chór na hÉireann, in Gaelic) is the small air force of the Republic of Ireland.

Spanish Air Force will receive 16 C295W MPA/MSA: this is how these aircraft are for maritime missions
The visit to Vigo of the patrol vessel LÉ William Butler Yeats of the Irish Naval Service

With a staff of fewer than 700 people (specifically 689, as revealed by the Irish Minister of Defence in 2024), the Irish Air Corps lacks fighter jets. The Republic of Ireland is a neutral country. It does not belong to NATO, but it does belong to the European Union, and benefits from the protection of the powerful armed forces of its British neighbors and from the defense agreement signed between the United Kingdom and the European Union in 2025.

The largest aircraft in the Irish Air Corps is only 24.5 meters long and is a Spanish aircraft: the Airbus C295, originally designed by the Spanish company Construcciones Aeronáuticas S.A. (CASA). Ireland has three of these aircraft: two C295W MSA maritime patrol aircraft, numbers 284 and 285 (acquired in 2019 and both delivered in 2023), and one C295W MTA tactical transport aircraft, number 286 (acquired in 2022 and delivered on October 7, 2025).

These three aircraft are operated by 101 Squadron, based at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, west of Dublin. The two C295W MSAs received in 2023 replaced two other Spanish aircraft, specifically CASA CN235-100MP Persuaders, received in 1994 and upgraded between 2006 and 2007. The three Irish C295Ws were manufactured at the Airbus factory in Seville, Spain.

Outwardly, all Irish Air Corps C295s look very similar. They have a glossy dark gray livery, with the inscription "Irish Air Corps" in black letters on the front of the fuselage, the Irish roundel (since 1954 it has been in the shape of a Celtic triskelion) on the tail and the flag of the Republic of Ireland on the tail fin, with the aircraft's identification number slightly below.

The C295W MSA is distinguished from the C295W MTA by three elements: the black maritime search radar on the lower front of its fuselage, the black SatCom antenna on the upper fuselage, and the small EO/IR (electro-optical/infrared) turret on the lower nose.

The Irish Air Corps uses these aircraft for various missions. The C295W MTA is intended for personnel and cargo transport, special operations, and medical evacuations. The two C295W MSAs are used for coastal and maritime surveillance, search and rescue, and especially for combating illegal fishing in Irish territorial waters. Airbus Defence and Space has released an interesting video today about the Irish C295W MSAs on these surveillance missions.

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Main photo: Óglaigh na hÉireann. The arrival at Casement Aerodrome, Iceland, of the Irish Air Corps' first C295W MSA on June 27, 2023.