The first Airbus C295, purchased by the Government of Canada for the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) Fixed Wing Search and Rescue Aircraft Replacement (FWSAR) programme, has completed its maiden flight.

The aircraft — designated CC-295 — took off from Seville (Spain) at 20.20 on 4 July and returned 87min later.

The FWSAR contract, which was awarded in December 2016, includes 16 C295 aircraft and all ‘in-service support’ (ISS) elements; these include training and engineering services, plus the construction of a new training centre in Comox (British Columbia).

The aircraft will be based where search and rescue squadrons are currently located: Comox; Winnipeg (Manitoba); Trenton (Ontario); and Greenwood (Nova Scotia).

As well as being directly involved in the FWSAR programme, Airbus is generating indirect business for Canada’s military, aeronautical and space sectors — including small and medium-size businesses — in support of the country’s ITB (Industrial and Technological Benefits) programme.