Leonardo celebrates an important operational result for the global fleet of C-27J Spartan aircraft, with the achievement of 250.000 flight hours. Chosen by military operators in 16 countries, since its entry into service the C-27J has been used in the most challenging environmental and operational conditions, from the Andes to Afghanistan.
Dario Marfè, Senior Vice President of Commercial, CSS&T & Proprietary Programs Business of Leonardo's Aircraft Division, declared: “The Spartan reflects well the very essence of the concept of national security, proving to be the best asset for the operations of the defense forces and for their fundamental contribution to supporting the population. In a world affected not only by the pandemic but by many other emergencies, Spartan has demonstrated that it can guarantee effective and relentless support to communities that have needed it."
The capabilities of the aircraft, widely demonstrated in multiple and complex operations, and its modular design have grown over the years in response to the evolution of market requirements, both in terms of technical characteristics and for military and civil missions, leading to the standard most recent called C27J Spartan Next Generation. This configuration features state-of-the-art avionics and winglets at the wingtips for even greater efficiency and operational performance. The avionics include a cockpit with five color multi-function displays, a radar for tactical transport missions and advanced communications systems. The addition of the 'winglets' further increases the general aerodynamic performance to the benefit of the aircraft's behavior in hot&high conditions, greater load capacity, range, autonomy and a general reduction in operating costs. The 'winglet' design includes parts produced with modern 3D additive manufacturing technology. The intrinsic growth potential and versatility of the C-27J benefit from a solid basic design, a broad and diversified operational experience and a strong and consolidated industrial know-how that allow the aircraft to always satisfy new needs of market.
The C-27J can be equipped with in-flight refueling, self-protection systems, secure communications and ballistic protection to operate in environments characterized by a high level of threat. With multiple roll-on/off mission kits that are easily installed and transported, the C-27J can be quickly reconfigured to the specific needs of each operation. The broad spectrum of configurations and versions also includes firefighting, maritime patrol, Command-Control-Communications (C3), Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconaissance (ISR) and special operations.
