Slovenia halts purchase of C-295

The Slovenian Defense Ministry "has halted plans" to purchase the EADS CASA C-295 transport plane, citing "the recent crash of the same type of aircraft in Poland," the STA news agency reports from Ljubljana.

The Defense Ministry had announced selection of the C-295 on January 18, only to reverse itself on January 29 after the Polish crash.

"In view of the accident, negotiations on the purchase of the € 30 m[illion] plane were halted only days after they began. The ministry said efforts to equip the Slovenian Armed Forces were being conducted with respect to high technical and other standards, including safety for army personnel," according to STA. Reuters, Aeronews, and Flight International carry similar reports.