The C-27J Spartan

The C-27J was selected by the Department of Defense in 2007 to fulfill Army and Air Force requirements for a medium-lift, intra-theater airlift aircraft. The primary mission of the C-27J is to deliver time sensitive/mission critical supplies the “last tactical mile” and the aircraft is perfectly suited to delivering cargo and supplies to forward tactical units in remote, austere locations and land or take off from short unimproved runways that are not accessible by other means.

The C-27J Spartan embodies the C-27J team's uncompromising commitment to deliver a proven interoperable and survivable airlifter to the U.S. Air Force. The C-27J offers superior and cost-effective performances in any operational condition, extreme mission flexibility, and is uniquely interoperable and interchangeable with heavier military airlifters.

The Air Force plans to purchase 38 C-27J’s. The plane is currently deployed in Afghanistan.

C-27J Capabilities

Born a rugged military airlift platform, the C-27J has a maximum payload of over 25,000 lbs. that can be configured for any mission: troops, medevac, airdrop or cargo. It operates autonomously in remote and austere environments from airstrips less than 2,000 feet.

C-27J: The National Guard

The C-27J will be flown by the Air National Guard; bed down of the C-27J has begun at Mansfield, Ohio and Martin State, Maryland. It will continue with Meridian, Mississippi, Battle Creek, Michigan, Fargo, North Dakota, Bradley, Connecticut, and Great Falls, Montana in sequence. Plans call for two additional bed down bases to be identified and all bases will receive 4 operational C-27Js. Training is currently conducted at Warner Robins, GA; the permanent training location will be at Key Field, in Meridian, Mississippi.

The C-27J Around the World

In production since 2001, the C-27J Spartan has been delivered to Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, the United States, Lithuania, Romania, Mexico and Morocco and has been selected by Slovakia, bringing the number of national air forces who have selected the aircraft to nine. The C-27J is the best-selling twin turboprop military tactical airlifter in its category. The C-27J has flown in Iraq and Afghanistan in the most complex and challenging environments, including operations from unpaved runways with excellent results in terms of technical reliability and operational performances.

C-27J TEAM MEMBERS

The C-27J Team is led by L-3 Communications Integrated Systems (L-3 IS), Alenia Aermacchi North America, and Global Military Aircraft Systems (GMAS).