Three airlifters at Pope Air Force Base, N.C., will be transferred to SOCOM by the end of this month. Four more are in production and are scheduled for delivery directly to SOCOM between December and April 2014.
Designed by Italian firm Alenia Aermacchi, the C-27J is a tactical transport designed for use on small, rough airfields. The Air Force initially planned on fielding 38 of the cargo planes, before deciding that they were too expensive to operate. That decision set off a firestorm of controversy in Congress, where members were eager to make sure local Air National Guard units received the platforms.
Altogether, the Air Force has paid for 21 C-27s. With the seven SOCOM planes assigned, 13 aircraft are being stored at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG)
The Air Force is maintaining those C-27s under “Type 1000” storage, which requires the planes be kept in near-active condition. The goal is that when a decision on their destination is made, they can be quickly spun up and delivered.
The US Forest Service and Coast Guard have each submitted a letter of interest in acquiring the planes to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD).
Finding a stable US operator would likely help sales of the Spartan abroad, according to analysts.
The plane’s reputation could be particularly boosted if SOCOM decides to modify the planes into the MC-27J gunship configuration. That configuration, a joint development between Alenia and ATK, adds a 30mm cannon and dual-console mission management system to the plane.
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