The Royal Thai Navy has ordered two Airbus C295 aircraft in an advanced transport configuration, adding a new operator of the type within Thailand’s armed forces. The aircraft are intended to strengthen the navy’s air transport capability and will also be configured for maritime surveillance, search and rescue and logistical support missions.
The C295s for the navy will be assembled at Airbus Defence and Space facilities in Seville, Spain, with first delivery scheduled for late 2028. The second aircraft is due to follow under the same industrial timeline. Once in service, the aircraft will operate from U-Tapao air base, a major Thai military and civil hub in the Sattahip district.
The navy aircraft will be equipped with an electro‑optical/infrared sensor suite to detect, classify and identify targets at sea and over land, by day and night. The order follows a recent contract for two additional C295s for the Royal Thai Air Force and complements the three C295 already in service with the Royal Thai Army since 2016 for troop and cargo transport.
With this latest contract, all three branches of Thailand’s armed forces will field the C295, increasing standardization in the country’s light and medium airlift fleet while supporting the C295 final assembly line’s workload in Seville toward the end of the decade.