Royal Brunei Air Force receives first two C295MWs

The RBAirF's Airbus 295MW fleet will be used in a strategic and tactical transport capability within the region and beyond. (Airbus)

The Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF) has received its first two out of four ordered Airbus C295MW transport aircraft.

The aircraft arrived at the RBAirF's Air Movement Centre at Rimba Air Base on 24 January, according to a statement from the Brunei Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). Brunei's contract with Airbus Defence and Space SAU, Spain, for acquisition of the aircraft was signed on 2 December 2022.

Janes has previously reported that the aircraft will replace the single Airbus CN235-110M operational with the RBAirF. This aircraft has been operational since 1997.

The C295MWs are slated to provide the RBAirF with a multirole, strategic and tactical transport capability. According to MINDEF, the C295MWs will support RBAirF operations in the region and internationally. The fleet's operational roles will include “humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations, MEDEVAC (medical evacuations), NEO (non-combatant evacuation operations), and SAR (search and rescue) operations”, MINDEF said.

“The aircraft is also configurable to perform various roles such as troop and cargo transport, VIP transport, freefall, airborne static jumps, cargo drops, and MEDEVAC,” MINDEF added.

Delivery of the first two aircraft occurred over a month after MINDEF signed a certificate of Customer Acceptance Test for the first C295MW on 19 December 2023. The Customer Acceptance Test is part of the acceptance requirements to be conducted before the aircraft is flown to Brunei for delivery. The second C295MW underwent its Customer Acceptance Test in January 2024 at Seville.