The first Alenia Aermachi C-27J Spartan battlefield airlift aircraft arrived in Australia on Tuesday at Royal Australian Air Force Base ...
The first Alenia Aermachi C-27J Spartan battlefield airlift aircraft arrived in Australia on Tuesday at Royal Australian Air Force Base Richmond.
The acquisition of the C-27J Spartan will fill a gap in Australia’s military capability for tactical fixed wing airlift, which has been left open since the retirement of the Caribou fleet in 2009.
The fleet of 10, C-27J Spartan will initially be based at RAAF Base Richmond in New South Wales, until their permanent home at RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland is completed.
The acquisition which has been planned since 2012, signifies a $1.4 billion investment in Australia’s airlift capability.
The aircraft will complement the capabilities of the C-130J Hercules and C-17A Globemaster and will be able to carry medium-sized loads and access smaller runways that are not suited to other aircraft. The Spartan has common C-130J Hercules infrastructure and aircraft systems such as engines (Rolls-Royce AE 2100-D2), avionics and the cargo handling systems.
With a maximum weight of about 30,000 kg, the airlifter has a range of 9800 km and can fly at a maximum altitude of 30,000 feet and reach 670 kmph speed. The payload include 40 troops or 21 stretchers, or 8000 kg cargo.
Within Australia, the C-27J can access over 400 airfields compared to around 200 for the C-130J Hercules aircraft, and over 1900 in the region.
The C-27J aircraft provides protection from a range of threats through features such as missile warning systems, electronic self protection, secure communications and battlefield armour.
Initial Operational Capability for the C-27J fleet is planned for late 2016, with Final Operational Capability expected within the following two years.
