ATK and Alenia Aermacchi have successfully completed the first phase of ground and flight testing for the palletised gun system on the MC-27J gunship variant of the tactical transport with the support of the Italian air force.
The system utilises a side-mounted GAU-23 30mm cannon integrated into a to roll-on, roll-off (RO-RO) pallet. The MC-27J has also been modified with an L-3 Wescam MX-15Di electro-optical sensor housed in a nose-mounted turret.
“The completion of successful testing with the Italian air force further validates the capabilities of the RO-RO gun and mission systems and demonstrates that the program is ready for fielding,” the companies say.
"This testing builds on previous gun accuracy flight tests performed with the MC-27J at Eglin AFB in 2013 and will provide the aircraft with a vital capability and a greater mission flexibility at an affordable cost.”
Alenia and ATK announced in 2012 their plan to jointly fund the development of the MC-27J.
Source: Flight Daily News
