PAF Confirms Acquisition of C-295 as its Medium Lift Fixed Wing Transport Aircraft

After finally getting confirmation from DND sources, MaxDefense is confident to announce the recent award of the medium lift fixed wing aircraft procurement project by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to Airbus Military/CASA for the C-295 aircraft. This was after Airbus Military was chosen over PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI - Indonesian Aerospace) with its CN-235, and Alenia Aermacchi of Italy with its ATR-42 (yes, they did not offer the C-27J) for the 2nd bidding attempt made by the DND. PT DI and Alenia Aermacchi's bids were found unacceptable by the DND's Bids and Awards Committee. Airbus Military's bid was at Php 5,288,609,983.99, which is lower than the budget allocated by the AFP.

Airbus Military's C-295, which was awarded recently by DND for the PAF's Medium Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft acquisition project.

The project is currently being questioned by losing bidder Alenia Aermacchi over its claim that both of its competitors in the project, Airbus Military and PT DI, are actually strategic partners and are linked together by the production of CN-235 (PT DI's offer) and C-295 (Airbus Military's offer) by both aircraft manufacturer's facilities. Although Alenia's complaints have been brought to the DND, there was no formal complaint filed by them against the decision of the DND to award the project to Airbus Military. PT DI's bid was rejected by the DND as the aircraft being offered was not compliant, the CN-235 cannot carry the required number of passengers and paratroopers due to its shorter fuselage size. Alenia Aermacchi did not submit a bid due to its ongoing complaint, although they submitted the ATR-42 during the 1st bid attempt. More of this issue was discussed in an earlier MaxDefense blog entry, which can be found on the following links:

- C-295 Only Eligible Bid for PAF's Medium Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft Acquisition Program (January 14, 2014)
- Tech Specs Released for PAF's Medium Lift Fixed Wing Transport Aircraft - Is there a Sure Winner? (October 25, 2013)
- PAF's Medium Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft Program - A Simple Analysis of the 3 Contenders (October 23, 2013)

Poland is a user of the Airbus Military C-295.

It is expected that the aircraft will be operated by the PAF's 220th Airlift Wing based in Benito Ebuen Air Base in Mactan, Cebu, probably with the 221st Airlift Squadron which operates the Fokker F-27 Friendship that the C-295 intends to complement and replace in the near future. It is also expected that follow-up orders will be exercised by the PAF, which may see the fleet increase from the initial 3 ordered. Per contract, the expected delivery of the 1st aircraft will be by May 2016, but this can be moved earlier depending on Airbus Military's production schedule. Based on the post bid qualification  inspections, it also appears that the PAF orders will be manufactured by the CASA-Airbus Military facility in Seville, Spain rather than with PT DI's facility in Bandung, Indonesia.

The C-295 is expected to compliment and eventually replace the Fokker F-27 Friendship with the 220th Airlift Wing of the PAF.

It is expected that the actual contract will be signed between the AFP and Airbus Military within March, 2014. 

With the C-295's win, it also solidify its chances in getting shortlisted for the PAF's Maritime Patrol Aircraft project. MaxDefense sources confirmed that the US-route that was being sought after by the PAF is not yet 100% confirmed, and the C-295 and other new models could still be chosen. To simplify training, logistics and maintenance, aircraft commonality might be considered, this recent win will push the C-295 forward in the race. Previous reports confirmed that Alenia Aermacchi is offering an ATR-42 or ATR-72 based MPA platform for the PAF, while PT DI's CN-235 platform is also being offered. 

Chile's C-295 Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

MaxDefense will provide further updates on this project as the project progresses from production to delivery.


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UPDATES:
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January 23, 2015:
A heads-up information from one of our readers lead us to a photo taken by Juanfco Mayoral and posted on Jetphotos.net. Taken on October 2014 based on the information from the website, showing an Airbus Military C-295 in Philippine Air Force markings undertaking flight testing in Spain.

The said photo of the PAF-bound C-295.
Photo by Juanfco Mayoral c/o Jetphotos.net.

It sports the specified white over grey body paint similar to what the PAF's Fokker F-27 Friendships are currently using. Unfortunately, it appears that the PAF C-295 doesn't have the winglets on the tip of the wings that are meant to improve the performance of the aircraft, even if there are news that Airbus Military will be having such winglets on all new-build C-295s starting 2014. It is assumed based on the photo that the PAF-bound C-295 in the photo, with tail number 129, was built within 2014.

With the presence of this aircraft, it is now expected that Airbus Military will be able to deliver far earlier than what was expected from them, with this aircraft probably in PAF's hands by within the 1st half of 2015. It could also be possible that a 2nd aircraft can be delivered within the year.


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April 1, 2015:

The Department of National Defense and the Philippine Air Force formally accepted the first of three brand new Airbus Military-CASA C-295M medium tactical transport aircraft in a formal ceremony last March 30, 2015 at Villamor Air Base, Pasay City. It would be assigned with the 220th Airlift Wing based in Benito Ebuen Air Base in Mactan, Cebu.

The PAF's 1st C-295M aircraft during the acceptance ceremonies.
Photo taken from GMA News.

The aircraft, with tail number 129, was delivered several months in advance, and has already embarked on its first mission when it delivered supplies from Villamor Air Base to Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu, then to Edwin Andrews Air Base in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

It is expected that the rest of the ordered aircraft will be arriving in advance as well, probably within this year.
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C-295 Only Eligible Bid for PAF's Medium Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft Acquisition Program

The bid submission and opening for the Philippine Air Force's requirement for 3 Medium Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft has seen Airbus Military (EADS-CASA) and PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) fighting for the project, offering the C-295 and the CN-235, respectively. Noted was the absence of another expected bidder, Alenia Aermacchi with its C-27J Spartan aircraft, which made a previous complaint regarding supposed communication flaws by the DND last year. Of the 2 bids submitted, it was found that Airbus Military's C-295 is the lowest eligible bid, with a quote of Php 5.289 billion, or a little lower than the Php 5.3 billion budget allocated by the PAF and DND.

Airbus Military's C-295 transport aircraft, as used by the Spanish Air Force.
Airbus Military recently submitted the lowest compliant bid for the PAF's Medium Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft Acquisition Project, which will complement and ultimately replace the PAF's ageing Fokker F-27 aircraft.
Photo taken from Milavia.net

Early notes from people present in the bid opening process confirmed that only the bid of Airbus Military was found as eligible, with PT DI planning to file for motion for reconsideration. MaxDefense later found out that the CN-235, as previously reported by an earlier MaxDefense blog regarding this project, was non-compliant as it cannot carry the specified number of pallets, passengers, paratroopers, and stretchers as required by the technical specifications. It was also non-compliant on the payload requirements, making all these a strong reason for the aircraft to be disqualified.

A C-295 transport aircraft delivered to the Mexican Air Force.
Photo taken from shepherdmedia.com

As for Alenia Aermacchi's concerns, the Department of National Defense (DND) has vowed to answer all their earlier complaints separately. 

The CN-235 offered by PT DI was disqualified for failing to meet payload and space requirements. In a twist of fate, the winning bidder Airbus Military is one of the original manufacturers of the CN-235, together with PT DI.

It is expected that the post qualification process will start soon, and may involve DND and PAF personnel to check EADS-CASA-Airbus Military's facilities and C-295 production in Spain. No word though if PT DI will be involved in any way as they are also a licensed assembler of the C-295 for the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) and a strategic partner of Airbus Military. If everything goes as planned, it is expected that the planes will be available to the PAF after 26 months after opening of letter of credit which may be provided to Airbus Military by around March or April this year. Thus the latest the PAF can have their planes will be around May, 2016. The PAF would be luckier if Airbus Military can deliver earlier as their production of the C-295 is still in full blast. It is still unconfirmed though if Airbus Military offered the newer C-295W version, or the older C-295M.

With the choice of the C-295, it would be interesting to see next what would be the PAF's choice on the future Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft (LRMPA) acquisition project, wherein the a modified C-295 is said to be one of the contenders as well. Although it was confirmed by the DND and PAF sources that the LRMPA project might be US-sourced, it is still possible for the C-295 to steal the show as everything is not yet final on that project.

A C-295 in MPA form used by the Chilean Navy. With the C-295 choice of the PAF, the C-295 bid for the LRMPA project may be possible as well.

MaxDefense will provide updates on this project up until we can finally see a contract signed between the PAF and Airbus Military.

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Tech Specs Released for PAF's Medium Lift Fixed Wing Transport Aircraft - Is there a Sure Winner?

Just right after MaxDefense posted the blog regarding the Php 5.3 billion Medium Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft acquisition project, PhilGEPS made available the Technical Specifications for the said project. Earlier it was discussed that this is the key to know who will be eligible to join the race and probably know who will win as well.

The Alenia Aerospace C-27J Spartan, one of the expected competitors for the Medium Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft program.
Photo taken from Wikimedia.

Here is the summary of the Technical Specifications for the said program:

- Requirement is for 3 brand-new units, and will be used for Airborne Operations, Aero-Medical Evacuation, Passenger Transport, and Limited Maritime Patrol and Search and Rescue Operations;
- For the aircraft to do such missions, it has to be equipped with paratroop seats, capable of static and free fall paradrop operations, must be able to accomodate at least twelve (12) litters, must accommodate at least 40 seated passengers, and must be convertible from full-cabin military transport to maritime patrol aircraft;
- A minimum range of 950 nautical miles (nm) without refueling;
- A minimum payload of 11,000 pounds (lbs) with maximum fuel load;
- An endurance of at least 4 hours and 30 minutes;
- A minimum crusing speed of 230 knots and a service ceiling of at least 25,000 feet;
- Must be capable of loading at least four (4) palletized cargo with dimensions of 2.5m x 2.0m x 1.6m and has a ramp loading capability;
- Short Take-off and Landing Capable, maximum of 1,000m length;
- Communications to include VHF-AM/FM/Marine Band and HF radios and provision for future upgrades;
- Autopilot capable, with GPS, Traffic Collision Avoidance System, Ground Proximity Warning System, Colored Weather Radar, Glass Cockpit;
- Programmed to fly 500 hours/year for thirty (30) years;
- Paint Scheme to follow the current Fokker F-27s with the 220th Airlift Wing (white and grey, as indicated).

According to the technical specifications, the paint scheme shown above will be followed for the Medium Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft requirement.
Photo taken from DND.

As discussed before, there are 3 expected competitors which already made known their interest to join the bidding: 

1. Alenia Aerospace (Italy) with the C-27J Spartan,
2. EADS/CASA - Airbus Military (Spain/EU) with the C-295,
3. PT Dirgantara Indonesia / Indonesian Aerospace (PT DI / IAe) with the CN-235.

(Discussions regarding the 3 aircraft models are discussed HERE). 

Looking at the above summarized specifications, MaxDefense believes that all 3 aircraft meet the required range, payload, cruising speed, endurance, and STOL requirements. All 3 can also do the required mission profiles, although it appears that the C-27J is weak with regards to configuration for limited Maritime Patrol since this aircraft has no MPA variants so far, unlike the CN-235 and C-295 which has palletized MPA suite as an option, although MaxDefense believes the DND/PAF won't avail of them for this program. The C-27J is also weak with regards to pricing, as the minimum requirements is enough for its 2 cheaper competitors to fit the requirement albeit a lesser capability. These 2 parameters is where the CN-235 and C-295 may beat the more capable C-27J. 

CASA-EADS's C-295 (above) is the middle-spec'd of the 3 possible competitors.
Photo taken from Wikimedia.

It is surprising though that the specifications, specifically the payload is way lower than even the smallest of the competitors, the CN-235, as MaxDefense expected the specifications to be closer to a fight between the C-27J and C-295. With a lower labor cost in Indonesia than in Western Europe (Spain & Italy), plus its smaller dimensions and lower specifications, Indonesia Aerospace's CN-235 is actually a strong candidate in this acquisition program in terms of pricing, it can definitely submit the lowest bid of all 3 candidates.

The IAe's CN-235 (above) is the cheapest of all the possible offers, but is it the aircraft to beat? Let's see in a couple of weeks.
Photo taken from Wikimedia.

But it now appears that the CN-235 and C-27J may fail the requirement on cargo capacity space. 

Although the CN-235 claims to be able to carry 4 108" length  x 88" height (2.74m length x 2.24m width) pallets, it can only do so with the ramp opened and flat, as shown on the photo below:

For the CN-235, only 3 pallets of 2.74m length each can be carried by closed ramp, and will need an open supported ramp to carry a 4th pallet, as shown above.
Photo taken from nifc.gov and EADS.

The DND requirement is for 4 pallets with dimensions of each pallet at 2.5m length x 2.0m width x 1.6m height. Thus, 4 pallets will require a little more than 10.0m cargo space length to fit. The DND is not clear though if the 4th pallet can be placed on an open but flat supported ramp. As shown on the photo below, the CN-235 only has a cabin length of 9.65 meters excluding the ramp. If including the winch, the space becomes less. 4 pallets as required by the technical specifications require a cabin space of at least 10.0 meters excluding the ramp and winch space.

The CN-235's cabin length is 9.65m excluding ramp, if including the winch (shown in orange square), the space becomes even less. 4 pallets requires at least 10 meters of cabin space length excluding ramp and winch space.
Photo taken from nifc.gov and EADS.

So it appears that the CN-235 may not be capable of meeting the cabin space requirements of the DND as specified in the technical specifications, except if the DND will accept the ramp area as a possible space. More of the report regarding the CN-235 HERE.

The Alenia C-27J Spartan may have the same problem as the CN-235 due to its short fuselage length, the aircraft being shorter than even the CN-235 by around 3.0 meters. Some sources quote the cabin length as only at 8.58 meters, shorter than CN-235's 9.65 meters including winch.

The C-27J's length is shorter than even the CN-235 although it meets the width and height requirements for cargo fuselage.

MaxDefense now believes that it could be a chance for C-295 to win the bidding. The C-295 has the same cabin width and height dimensions as the CN-235, but is 3.10m longer in the cargo fuselage portion, thus giving it a cargo space of at least 11.0 meters long and can fit 4 pallets of 2.5 meters long each as specified.

The specifications has been released and is available at PhilGEPS's website. Even with the availability of the specifications, bidders are required to pay the necessary dues to join the bid.
Photo taken from DND's Medium Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft technical specifications.

The only parameters in which will either chop off some of the bidders will be the other requirements in the specifications, specifically the Eligibility Documentation portion, where many bidders in other procurement projects fail to pass. Take note that Daewoo/Daesun failed in this portion for the Strategic Sealift Vessel (SSV) project, while Sikorsky failed in this regard for the Light Lift Fixed Wing Aircraft project.

Another parameter that needs to be given a second look are the Maintenance Requirements, which include flying hours required before overhaul of the airframe, powerplant, propeller, landing gears and other major aircraft components. These information are usually not made known publicly by aircraft manufacturers and may only be included on previous offers made to PAF and DND.

So although the C-295 seems to be the aircraft to beat in this program, we cannot finally say that until the bidding actually proceeds and everyone pass the initial requirements as indicated in the specification checklists, and also when DND makes a decision. There could still be some hook-ups along the way for any of the 3 potential bidders, although this is actually a good fight to watch.

For a public copy of the Technical Specifications, you may take from 'HERE'.


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Updates:

October 26, 2013: 
The bid submission and opening was moved from October 29, 2013 to November 11, 2013. This is according to the new Supplemental Bid Bulletin issued by the DND on October 21, 2013. No word if bidders requested the schedule change or if DND's decision.
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November 12, 2013: 
Another adjustment on the schedule for this project. The bid submission and opening was moved again, now to November 18, 2013. This is according to the new Supplemental Bid Bulletin issued by the DND on November 11, 2013. No official reason why it was moved but it is possible that the bidders requested for an extension. 
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January 14, 2014: 
Only 2 bidders submitted in the bid submission and opening for this project on January 13, 2014, namely EADS-CASA (Airbus Military) and PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI / Indonesian Aerospace). Of the two entities, only EADS-CASA's bid using the C-295 was found eligible, while PT DI's bid failed to meet the requirements with its CN-235. More on MaxDefense's latest blog on this project.
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