Serbia’s first C-295 cargo plane slated for inaugural Belgrade flypast

BELGRADE, Serbia — The Serbian air force has taken delivery of the first of two C-295 transport aircraft ordered last year from Airbus, in what could signal a break from the country’s reliance on Soviet-era and Russian aerial equipment.

In February 2022, Serbia inked a $91 million contract with Airbus for the supply of two military transport planes as well as associated pilot equipment and training services. The agreement also included government-to-government oversight between the ministries of Defense from Spain and Serbia with the aim of developing future defense programs.

The first C-295 is making its way to Belgrade via ferry, on the occasion of the Partner 23 arms fair taking place here from Sept. 25-28. According to the manufacturer, the plane was scheduled to conduct its first overflight above the capital on the opening day followed by the official hand-over ceremony.

The aircraft are produced at Airbus’ production plant in Seville, Spain. They are slated to replace Serbia’s Soviet-era Antonov An-26 aircraft.

The pair of new planes are to be handed over in transport configuration and both equipped with the Pro Line Fusion avionics suite by Collins Aerospace.

Airbus is eager to keep close relations with Serbia, which already operates other products made by the European aerospace and defense giant, a company statement said at the time of the signature of the deal.

The close ties are part of the reason why Belgrade is believed to have a solid shot at joining the SirTAP surveillance drone program led by Airbus, which remains in its pre-design phase.

“Airbus is promoting SirTAP in various countries beyond Spain, the launching nation, and is considering Serbia as a potential future opportunity, but cannot comment on details on the status of potential sales campaigns,” Borja García de Sola, external communications manager at Airbus, told Defense News.

The C-295 type is marketed by the European aircraft manufacturer as a new-generation tactical airlifter designed to carry military cargo, troops, light military vehicles or other aircraft engines. It can transport up to nine tonnes of payload or as many as 71 soldiers or 50 paratroopers.

Serbia has increasingly looked to Europe-based suppliers for military equipment, especially in the air sector. For some time now, the country has been entertaining the possibility of acquiring French-made Rafale fighter jets to replace its MiG-29 fleet and has previously turned to Airbus to supply nine H-145M multi-role helicopters.

In March of this year, the French MoD confirmed to Defense News that there were still ongoing discussions between France and Serbia regarding the possible procurement of the French jets.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

塞尔维亚贝尔格莱德——塞尔维亚空军接收了去年向空客公司订购的两架C-295运输机中的第一架，这可能标志着该国将摆脱对苏联时代和俄罗斯航空设备的依赖。

2022年2月，塞尔维亚与空客公司签署了一份价值9100万美元的合同，采购两架军用运输机以及相关的飞行员设备和培训服务。该协议还包括西班牙和塞尔维亚国防部之间的政府间监督机制，旨在发展未来的国防项目。

首架C-295运输机正通过渡轮运往贝尔格莱德，以迎接9月25日至28日在此举行的Partner 23国际武器贸易展览会。据制造商称，该飞机计划在开幕当天进行首次飞越首都的飞行表演，随后举行正式的交付仪式。

这些飞机由空客公司位于西班牙塞维利亚的工厂生产。它们计划取代塞尔维亚苏联时代的安东诺夫安-26飞机。

这两架新飞机将以运输配置交付，并且都将配备柯林斯宇航公司的 Pro Line Fusion 航空电子设备套件。

空客在签署协议时发表声明称，空客渴望与塞尔维亚保持密切关系，塞尔维亚已经运营着这家欧洲航空航天和国防巨头生产的其他产品。

密切的联系是贝尔格莱德被认为很有可能加入由空客公司牵头的 SirTAP 监视无人机项目的部分原因，该项目目前仍处于预设计阶段。

“空客正在西班牙（该项目的启动国）以外的多个国家推广 SirTAP，并将塞尔维亚视为未来的潜在机会，但无法评论潜在销售活动的具体情况，”空客对外沟通经理 Borja García de Sola 告诉《防务新闻》。

C-295型飞机由欧洲飞机制造商推向市场，是一款新一代战术运输机，设计用于运输军事物资、部队、轻型军用车辆或其他飞机发动机。它最多可运输9吨有效载荷，或搭载71名士兵或50名伞兵。

塞尔维亚越来越倾向于从欧洲供应商采购军事装备，尤其是在航空领域。一段时间以来，该国一直在考虑采购法国制造的“阵风”战斗机来替换其米格-29机队，此前也曾向空客公司采购过9架H-145M多用途直升机。

今年 3 月，法国国防部向《防务新闻》证实，法国和塞尔维亚之间仍在就可能采购法国战机进行讨论。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。