Three EADS CASA CN-235-300 Maritime Surveillance Aircraft for the Spanish Ministry of Infrastructures

Released on Tuesday, February 27, 2007

The three (3) EADS CASA CN-235-300 SM01maritime surveillance aircraft ordered by the Spanish Ministry of Infrastructures were presented yesterday at EADS CASA facilities in Seville.

The Spanish Minister of Infrastructures, Magdalena �lvarez, and Francisco Fernández Sáinz, Chairman of EADS CASA, attended the ceremony.

These aircraft will start operating in Summer 07. Their main missions will be maritime search and rescue and pollution control within the Spanish EEZ.

The CN-235-300 is an extensively proved aircraft in maritime patrol missions with over 9 hours of mission duration time. Its equipment includes state of the art systems and sensors, like FITS, a Fully Integrated Tactical System entirely developed by EADS CASA, which is the most modern and capable system in the world already in operation.

The US Coast Guard CN-235s for the Deepwater Program, the Irish Corps CN-235s, the Spanish Air Force and Brazilian P-3s, the Mexican C-212s, and the Portuguese Air Force C-295s recently ordered, include the FITS as part of their equipment. Spanish Air Force has also requested from EADS CASA the transformation of 6 CN-235 military transport aircraft into maritime patrol aircraft with FITS.

EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2005, EADS generated revenues of € 34.2 billion and employed a workforce of about 113,000. The Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and EADS Astrium, the European leader in space programmes from Ariane to Galileo. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, develops the A400M military transport aircraft, and holds a stake in the joint venture MBDA, the international leader in missile systems.