C-27J SPARTAN

A Finmeccanica Company

Alenia Aeronautica All rights reserved

All photos by Alenia Aeronautica except as noted:

Aeronautica Militare Italiana: pages 9, 10, 15 (top)
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C-27j Meet the Spartan
Its time for the maximum speed dash. The pilots slam the throttles forward, the C-27J
accelerates swiftly to 325 knots and descends rapidly to low level.
The forward operating base is somewhere in the night, over a thousand nautical miles
behind. The Spartan and its precious cargo are headed for a turf strip in the hot zone,
invisible to all but the GPS embedded inertial system. The special force rangers sit in
silence around their Humvee. Precision ground maps come up on one of the five color
displays. Donning their night vision goggles, the crew switch on the defensive aids suite.
The radar warning receiver, missile approach warning system and laser warning receiver
are quiet. Maybe this time chaff and flares will not be required. Approaching the strip, the
pilots and observer look through the many cockpit windows to identify the strip. A quick cir-
cle, a sharp roll and the Spartan lines up to land. Touchdown! Thankfully, the outstanding
landing gear is designed for unprepared surfaces. The strip is barely fifty feet wide, but the
pilots achieve a perfect star turn in just two maneuvers. The rangers are ready to drive out
almost before the ramp comes down. There is nothing to reassemble, so the loadmaster
wishes the team good luck and waves them off. Almost before realizing it, the ramp is lo-
cked in the up position and the C-27J accelerates up the strip, becoming airborne in about
1800 feet and dashing out at full speed before climbing to cruising altitude.
Mission accomplished.

spartan 7
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truly Ordered by seven countries including the United States, the C-27J is the only true, mo-
dern and effective tactical airlifter available anywhere in the world. The C-27J has been
deployed successfully to Afghanistan by the Italian and Lithuanian Air Forces. It has also
operated humanitarian flights to Mali. The US Army has already received its first two Spar-
tans and others are in service in Greece and Bulgaria. Romania and Morocco have also
placed firm orders. The C-27J is designed, built and supported by Alenia Aeronautica, the
2.5 billion-Euro Italian leader in aeronautics which brings together full system integration
capabilities and high R&D investment with 90 years of experience. The Alenia Aeronautica
ability to develop integrated mission systems is proven by programs including the Euro-
fighter, ATR 72 ASW and ATR 42 MP Surveyor. Service use confirms that the Spartan
offers unique qualities not found in aircraft derived from commercial turboprops: rugged-
ness, survivability, threat avoidance capabilities, reliability and maneuverability. Excellent
handling, advanced systems and superior safety levels further enhance the C-27J ope-
rational capabilities. The Spartan can operate from short and rough airstrips in remote
areas, independently from external support thanks to its internal auxiliary power unit. The
built-in cargo handling system, variable attitude landing gear, power-steered nose wheel
speed ground operations and minimize risks in unsecured locations.

tactical 9
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 The C-27J is versatile, simple and effective by design. In
fact, it offers the largest cargo box in its category and a wide
fuselage cross-section that accommodates military vehi-
cles, over 11 tons of payload, 60 troops or 46 paratroopers.
Special mission variants are easily accommodated.
The Spartan delivers bulky military loads, from fighter en-
gines to howitzers, to austere locations where only a jeep
could operate, like loose dry sand airstrips. A single loadma-
ster can reconfigure the aircraft without any assistance (in
as little as 10 minutes for some configurations), allowing the
C-27J to perform many different missions on the same day.
The Spartan will deploy up to 70% of the equipment of the
typical airborne division. Its floor is actually stronger than

f u l l y
flexible

that of the C-130J and the full-size fuselage doors and rear
ramp make it ideal for paratroop and supply drops. The rear
ramp and capacious cargo hold allow many armored cars,
light trucks, Humvees and other military vehicles to drive in
or out with no modifications or dismantling.
The two pilot glass cockpit minimizes workload and increa-
ses situational awareness. Designed with a dark cockpit
philosophy, it is NVIS/NVG compatible and easily fitted with
Head-Up Displays. The integrated MIL-1553B digital avio-
nics architecture uses off-the-shelf equipment and has ex-
cellent growth potential. A comprehensive self-protection
package and in-flight refueling probe are available. 11
 The C-27J is designed to be easy to operate and affordable
to maintain for decades of effective service under the most
demanding conditions. The Spartan offers low fuel consum-
ption and requires no depot-level maintenance.
The C-27J is fully interoperable with the C-130J and other
heavy airlifters. Palletized loads can be transferred without
repacking, increasing safety and mission tempo. With its ex-
cellent characteristics and generous cargo area, the C-27J
is also an ideal platform for potential additional roles, inclu-
ding search and rescue in extreme or arctic environments,
VIP transport and emergency relief. Mission-critical features
include the 3-spar wing, 3 g maneuverability, 2.5 g sustai-
ned turn rate at 180 knots, redundant and segregated sy-

affordable
airlift

stems, cockpit visibility.The robust airframe and upgradable

avionics are complemented by the 24-hour Alenia Aeronau-
tica AOG center and optional logistics support package. The
flexible inspection program, highly reliable equipment and
extended intervals are true force multipliers. C-130J com-
monality further simplifies operations, interoperability and
maintainability in the field.

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 On the C-27J Alenia Aeronautica brings together some of
the best names in the aviation industry, including Rolls-Roy-
ce for the powerful AE2100 turboprops, Honeywell for the
glass cockpit and Dowty for the super-efficient six-bladed
propellers, all of which are common to the C-130J.
Alenia Aeronautica is teamed with L-3 Communications on
the US Joint Cargo Aircraft program. All US-specific equip-
ment is installed by L-3 in Waco, Texas, and the company
will also provide JCA logistic support. The Alenia Aeronau-
tica Military Transport Aircraft Division oversees production
in Italy and the United States.
Global Military Aircraft Systems (GMAS), a subsidiary of
Alenia North America, also participates in the program. A full

t o t a l ly
teamed

range of training services, including simulators, is available

to satisfy any customer need.

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 Data
Wing Area 82 sqm / Aspect Ratio: 10

Weights
MTOW (logistic) 31,800 kg 70,107 lb
MTOW (basic) 30,500 kg 67,241 lb
Maximum Landing Weight (6FpS sink rate) 30,500 kg 67,241 lb
Maximum Landing Weight (10FpS sink rate) 27,500 kg 60,627 lb
Maximum Payload 11,500 kg 25,353 lb
Fuel Capacity 12,320 l 3,255 US Gal

Configuration and Loads

Troop Transport up to 60
Paratroop Transport up to 46
Cargo Transport up to 11.5 Tons
3HCU-E (108 x 88) + 1 HCU-12E (54 x 88)
6 HCU-12E (54 x 88)
Wheeled and trackled Vehicles, spare engines, etc.
Material Air-dropping up to 9 Tons
up to 12 A22 CDS Bundles
up to 5 Tons through LAPES
C-27J SPARTAN

up to 6 Tons through Combat Off Load

Medevac 36 Stretchers + 6 Medical attendants

Powerplant
Engine Rolls-Royce AE 2100-D2
Power 4,637 SHP
Propeller Dowty R-391 six-blade
Diameter 4.11 m 13.5 ft

Performance
Tactical Take-Off Ground Run (MTOW, ISA, S.L.) 580 m 1,903 ft
One Engine out Ceiling @ ISA, 95% MTOW 4,420 m 14,500 ft
Maximum Service Ceiling 9,144 m 30,000 ft
Maximum Cruise Speed 325 KTAS
Landing Ground Roll (MLW normal, ISA, S.L.) 340 m 1,115 ft

Range (logistic operation)

> with 10,000 kg of payload 1,852 km 1,000 nm
> with 6,000 kg of payload 4,260 km 2,300 nm
> Ferry 5,926 km 3,200 nm

Avionics
MIL-STD-1553B Digital Data Bus Architecture
Compatible with emerging Future Air Navigation System (FANS)

- Communication
2 ARC-210VHF/UHF Radio, 2 HF Radio, 1 VHF/UHF Direction Finder (DF), Digital Audio
Inter-Communication (ICS)

- Navigation
Embedded GPS/INS, 2 TACAN (DME), 2 VOR/ILS/MB, Low Frequency ADF, 2 Distributed
Air Data Systems (DADS), Dual Radar Altimeters
- Radar System
Northrop Grumman AN/APN-241 Low Power Color Radar with the following modes of operation:
Monopulse Ground Mapping with Doppler Beam Sharpening, Weather and Turbulence Detection,
Air Target Detection, Windshear Detection, Beacon mode for drop-zone identification

- Other Equipment
Flight Management System
2 Digital Autopilot Flight Director System
IFF Transponder (Modes, Level 2)
TCAS-II (Aural and Visual Identifi cation)
GCAS (Aural and Visual Special Alerts)
Recording Sts (FDR-CVR-DS-DTU)
Digital Map (Option)
HUD (Option)

28 .70 m

3.55 m

22.70 m
12.40 m
www.alenia-aeronautica.it
 A Finmeccanica Company

Published by Alenia Aeronautica - Image and Publishing Department

June 2009
A Finmeccanica Company