Romania Purchases Seven C-27J Spartan Transport Aircraft

Released on Friday, December 07, 2007

New international success for the C-27J, which ever more confirms its position as the standard tactical airlifter of the NATO countries. Alenia Aeronautica has signed today in Bucharest with Romtechnica, National Company for Foreign Trade of the Romanian Ministry of Defence, a contract of the value of around €217 millions for seven aircraft.

The contract also envisages, in addition to the seven C-27Js, services as: pilots training, initial logistic support and a flight simulator that will be based in Bucharest. The first aircraft will be delivered by the end of 2008.

Thanks to this contract the C-27Js ordered by the air forces of Romania, Italy, Greece, Lithuania, Bulgaria and by the U.S. Army and Air Force, reach the 117 units, thus reasserting the C-27J as the world's most successful tactical transport aircraft of its category.

The Romanian Air Force had selected Alenia Aeronautica's twin-engine aircraft in November last year, preferring it to the EADS CASA C.295M, since the Italian offer, not only was competitive in financial terms, but it was also the only one able to fully meet Bucharest Defence Ministry's technical requirements.

In particular, as compared to the C.295M, only the C-27J proved to be able to satisfy Romanian request for an APU, Auxiliary Power Unit equipped airlifter, to guarantee the aircraft's total autonomy from energy sources on ground and flying; a complete automatic defence system against all landbased threats; the capability of reaching within 15 minutes 5000 metres of altitude with full payload; a large-capacity flight data recorder and above all operational interoperability with the other transport aircraft in service with Romania and the other NATO countries, first of all with the C-130 Hercules; and this is a characteristic that only C-27J among the tactical transport aircraft of its category can offer, thanks to its wide fuselage and to the strength of the cargo floor.