CN-235

The CASA/IPTN CN-235 is a medium-range twin-turboprop tactical transport aircraft, developed jointly by CASA (Spain) and IPTN (Indonesia). It entered service on 1 March 1988 and is employed both as a regional airliner and as a military aircraft, its main roles being airlift and aerial surveillance. More than 240 examples of all versions are in service, totalling more than 500,000 flight hours; Turkey is the main user with 59 aircraft.

Development

The programme was born with the creation of Airtech International on 17 October 1979, a joint venture between CASA and IPTN tasked with designing, producing and marketing a 35- to 44-seat twin turboprop. Preliminary design work began in January 1980 and the project was presented publicly at the 1981 Paris Air Show, where a memorandum of understanding was signed with General Electric for the CT7 powerplant. The first two prototypes were rolled out simultaneously at Getafe and Bandung on 10 September 1983; the CASA-built prototype made its first flight on 11 November 1983, IPTN's on 30 December 1983. Spanish and Indonesian certification was obtained on 20 June 1986, the first production aircraft flew on 19 August 1986 and FAA certification was granted on 3 December 1986. By May 1989, 133 firm orders had been recorded, 74 of them military. The initial industrial split allocated 65% of each airframe to Bandung and 35% to Getafe. In 1995 CASA launched a stretched version, the C-295.

Design

The fuselage, wide for the category, features a rear ramp and a four-abreast single-aisle cabin. The production powerplant consists of two 1,305 kW General Electric CT7-9C3s driving Hamilton Sundstrand 14RF four-bladed propellers. Wingspan is 25.81 m for a length of 21.40 m and a maximum take-off weight of 16,100 kg. Payload comprises 51 passengers, 35 paratroopers, 18 stretchers or four HCU-6/E pallets for 6,000 kg. Later versions received Honeywell avionics, and 19 Turkish aircraft were refitted in the 2000s with Thales maritime surveillance systems.

Armament

The MPA version has six hardpoints for AM-39 Exocet missiles or Mk.46 torpedoes. The AC-235 receives integrated pylons for AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and 70 mm rockets, together with a side-firing 30 mm cannon and a synthetic aperture radar.

Operational History

The French Air Force ordered eight aircraft before May 1989 and operates 27. The Indonesian Navy declared its first CN-235 MPAs operational in October 2013 from Juanda air base. The Irish Air Corps received two examples in 1994, committed in 2021 to the Kabul evacuation and in 2022 to Ukraine. Turkish Navy CN-235 MPAs patrolled the Black Sea during the 2022 Russian invasion, detecting mines. Other customers: Colombia, Mexico, South Korea, Malaysia, Senegal, Thailand and the US Coast Guard (HC-144).

Variants

• CN-235-10: initial production version, 15 examples built by each partner, CT7-7A engines.
• CN-235-100/110: CT7-9C engines in composite nacelles, replacing the series 10 from the 31st aircraft in 1988.
• CN-235-200/220: strengthened structure, revised leading edges and control surfaces, reduced take-off distance and increased range.
• CN-235-300: CASA modification of the 200/220 series with Honeywell avionics and improved pressurisation.
• AC-235: light gunship developed for the Royal Jordanian Air Force, introduced in May 2014.