16 Facts About C-27J Spartan

Alenia C-27J Spartan is a military transport aircraft developed and manufactured by Leonardo's Aircraft Division .

In 2007, the C-27J Spartan was selected as the Joint Cargo Aircraft for the United States military; these were produced in an international teaming arrangement under which L-3 Communications served as the prime contractor.

The C-27J Spartan has been ordered by the military air units of Australia, Bulgaria, Chad, Italy, Greece, Kenya, Lithuania, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Zambia and an undisclosed country.

GMAS announced that the C-27J Spartan will be assembled at a facility at Cecil Field, Duval County, Florida.

The first C-27J was planned to be delivered to the joint U S Army–Air Force test and training program in June 2008.

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In November 2012, the C-27J Spartan deployed for its first domestic mission, contributing to the Hurricane Sandy relief effort.

In December 2013, an Italian C-27J Spartan was deployed to the Philippines to participate in international humanitarian relief operations in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.

The Italian Air Force is the launch customer for a special mission variant of the C-27J Spartan, named Praetorian in the configuration tailored for ItAF and equipped with ISR equipment and roll-on, roll-off mission systems consoles; Italy is the first European nation to operate such an aircraft.

In 2006, Bulgaria initially ordered five C-27J Spartan to replace its aging fleet of Antonov An-26 aircraft, but reduced its order to three aircraft in 2010 due to funding shortages.

In 2006, the Romanian government announced the selection of the C-27J Spartan, seeking 7 aircraft to be delivered from 2008 to replace Antonov An-24 and Antonov An-26 aircraft, beating the EADS CASA C-295.

In 2007, the C-27J Spartan was being considered as a sole-source C$3 billion contract by Canada as a replacement for its search and rescue air fleet.

In 2012, the C-27J Spartan was shortlisted as a candidate for the Philippine Air Force medium lift aircraft program.

The AC-27J Spartan was to be a multi-mission platform, equipped with full-motion cameras and outfitted to support covert infiltration and other ground operations, armed with either a 30-millimeter or 40-millimeter gun or precision-guided munitions such as the Viper Strike bomb.

HC-27J Spartan is a modified surveillance variant for the US Coast Guard.

The MC-27J Spartan was developed as an Alenia Aermacchi-Orbital private venture.

On 25 March 2014, the first MC-27J Spartan, named Praetorian in the configuration tailored for Italian Air Force, performed its maiden flight.