Brazil has ordered an additional Airbus C295 search and rescue (SAR) aircraft that will eventually take to 15 the number of C295s in service with the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), Airbus announced.

This latest order constitutes the firming of an option included in an earlier contract in 2014. It was signed at the end of last year and will, therefore, be included in the 2017 order book. The three SAR aircraft will serve alongside 12 transport-configured C295s already delivered.

The first of the three SAR aircraft was delivered last year and performed a successful five-week tour through four continents before arriving in Brazil. The aircraft demonstrated its maritime patrol and search and rescue capabilities in a wide range of environments and recorded 100% availability during the tour.

The second FAB C295 SAR will be delivered in 2019 and the third in 2020.

More than 200 C295s have now been ordered by 26 countries. In the Latin American region, more than 100 Airbus military transport aircraft of all kinds are now in operation.