The C-27J Spartan team has brought one of its aircraft to Dubai, and work is progressing rapidly towards fulfilling the major contract it landed earlier this year for the US Army / US Air Force Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) contract.
The first two deliveries in the 78-aircraft order are due in September and November 2008, with the first aircraft in final production at Alenia’s Turin plant in northern Italy. The new dates for first deliveries were necessitated by the temporary ‘stop work’ order imposed by the US General Accountability Office (GAO) while it investigated an appeal from competitors Raytheon against the contract award. The C-27J was confirmed as the winning entry by the GAO in late September.
Project leader L-3 Communications Integrated Systems in Waco, Texas will take delivery of the first aircraft by July 2008 for final integration of the JCA configuration, installing equipment such as defensive systems. The C-27J consortium plans to establish a second final assembly and check-out facility by 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida to augment the Italian production line.
The US Air Force is understood to be hosting a meeting next month to which it has invited a large number of countries that might be interested in a foreign military sales program of the C-27J's JCA configuration.
Meanwhile, the first C-27J for the Bulgarian air force from an order for five is due for imminent delivery. The Bulgarian aircraft configuration includes several unique items including an electronic warfare defensive aids system and fuel tank explosion protection system.
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Source: Flight Daily News
