Campo Grande, Brazil, 11 July 2017 — Less than a month ago in Spain, the first of three SAR variants of the ubiquitous Airbus C295, designated SC-105 Amazonas, was officially handed over to the Brazilian Air Force during a ceremony held at Sevilla-San Pablo on 16 June 2017 in presence of the Brazilian Minister of Defence, Mr. Raul Jungmann, and the Brazilian Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Nivaldo Ruiz Rossato.
Closely based on the Persuader MPA variant of the C295 already in service in Portugal and Chile, the Airbus SC-105 is specialiy tailored for all-weather Search-and-Rescue (SAR) and features specific electronic equipments like an infrared detection FLIR ball under the nose and a EL/M-2022A(V)3 panoramic radar under the fuselage.
This new machine (military serial 6550) is earmarked for Esquadrão Pelicano (2°/10° Gav) stationned at Campo Grande AB in Mato Grosso do Sul, a specialized SAR unit which already flies two older models of the SC-105 devoid of specific hi-tech avionics for regular observation sorties over the Pantanal region of Brazil alongside several Bell SH-1H helicopters and Embraer SC-95B twinturboprops.
FAB’s 2°/10° GAv is nowadays partly responsible, under international ICAO rules, for the patrol of an immense 22 million square miles zone. A mission shared with FAB’s Lockheed P-3BR on the extented maritime coastline. //
