Airbus Defence & Space (Hall Concorde 17, Static C4) announced an order from the Saudi Arabian Interior Ministry for four C295W medium airlifters here yesterday. The Kingdom previously bought the smaller CN235 transport and A330MRTT tankers. Airbus said the Saudi choice followed an open competition and was based on “the aircraft’s excellent operational capabilities in hot and severe conditions, and its proven affordable maintenance and operational costs.”

The C295W version is an upgrade that Airbus announced in 2013, with optional winglets and performance upgrades to the Pratt & Whitney PW127G turboprops.