The interior of the Spanish Air Force's first C295W MPA maritime patrol aircraft

The Spanish Air Force is getting closer to recovering a lost capability: maritime patrol.

Airbus shows the first three completed Spanish C295W MSA military aircraft
Airbus shows the future Spanish C295W military aircraft in three configurations

In December 2022, the Spanish Air Force decommissioned its last P-3M Orion aircraft. Since then, despite having a very long coastline and as a consequence of further political shortsightedness, Spain lacks aircraft capable of performing tasks such as submarine detection.

In June 2023, Spain announced the purchase of 16 C295W MPA (maritime patrol) and MSA (maritime surveillance) aircraft. Initially, there were going to be 6 MPA and 10 MSA, but finally there will be 8 MPA and 8 MSA. Eight days ago we saw the first three Spanish C295W MSAs already completed and awaiting their first flight.

On March 5th, Airbus displayed four of the future Spanish C295W military aircraft on its assembly line. Two of the aircraft were the MTA (transport) variant, one was an MSA (maritime surveillance) variant, and the fourth was an MPA (maritime patrol) variant, which can be seen alongside these lines.

The C295W we saw in those images was the S-260. Its main difference from the C295W MSA and MTA we saw in those images is the SatCom antenna that the MPA carries on top, in front of the wings. Like the MSA, the MPA will have an EO/IR turret on the underside of the nose and the multimode maritime search radar on the underside of the fuselage. In addition, the MPA will carry the Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) stinger on the tail, a tool that the P-3M Orion already had for submarine detection.

Airbus Defence has today published four photos of the first Spanish C295W MPA, noting that its production "continues to progress at our Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Seville. The first power on has just been completed, representing a key milestone in the industrial process." Above, we see the starboard engine nacelle and its propeller, with the blades covered in protective sleeves.

Airbus Defence photos also show the interior of this aircraft. We see the cockpit above (with large multifunction displays), and below we see the compartment that will house the four consoles of the Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS), where the mission operators will sit; the rest area; the two observer seats and a sonobuoy launcher.

"The C295 MPA will be equipped to carry out anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, command and control (C2), and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. It will also be capable of carrying armaments such as torpedoes and other weapon systems," Airbus Defence stated. The C295W MPA will carry this armament on underwing pylons, as, unlike the P-3 Orion, this aircraft does not have an internal weapons bay.

In this fourth photo, we see the front of the aircraft. These are the ESM/ELINT (Electronic Support Measures/Electronic Intelligence) sensors, for anti-submarine warfare, maritime patrol, and intelligence missions. It is an optional system already carried by the C295 MPA aircraft of the Royal Air Force of Oman.