It appears that the Egyptian Air Force will receive its six remaining C295s on order from Airbus Military, after delivery was earlier halted due to the political crisis there.
Three C295s in Egyptian Air Force colours were seen undergoing test flights at the Seville-San Pablo Airport in Spain near Airbus Military’s facilities there this week, reports Air Forces Daily. One had been painted in white United Nations colours in September and was presumed to be destined for Ghana but earlier this week was seen in Egyptian Air Force colours. (Ghana has two C295s on order and will lease them to the United Nations.)
The Egyptian Air Force has ordered a total of 12 C-295Ms, of which at least five and possibly six have been delivered. An initial three were ordered in October 2010, with deliveries being completed in November and December 2011. Another three were ordered in March last year and another six in January this year.
Airbus Military had planned to deliver this final batch of six by the end of 2013, but on August 28 the Spanish Inter-Ministerial Council on Defence and Dual Use Materiel (JIMDDU) suspended all existing Egyptian defence contracts, saying the move was cautionary and would be reviewed every month.
This move came after the Egyptian military took over from Mohammed Morsi’s democratically elected government on July 3, leading to severe violence and unrest in the country.
Many other countries subsequently suspended military shipments to Egypt, including the United States, the UK, Germany and others. As a result, Egypt is now looking towards Russia to supply its defence hardware.
