Alenia Flies First C-27J JCA For U.S. Army

[tigershark]

Alenia Flies First C-27J JCA For U.S. Army

Jun 17, 2008

Graham Warwick
Alenia Aeronautica has flown the first C-27J Spartan Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) for the U.S. Army at its Caselle plant in Turin, Italy.

The 40-minute first-flight on June 16 was conducted in poor weather, Alenia says, and focused on functional checks. It marks the beginning of a 70-hour flight-test and 180-hour ground-test program, the majority to be conducted at Caselle.

Alenia and prime contractor L-3 Communications was awarded a potential $2 billion contract in June 2007 for up to 78 JCAs for the Army and Air Force. Six are under contract and the first C-27J is scheduled for delivery before the end of September, with the second to be handed over in November.

In 2010, Alenia North America plans to begin JCA deliveries from a new final assembly plant to be built in Jacksonville, Fla. The aircraft will be delivered to L-3 Integrated Systems in Waco, Texas, for installation of the mission equipment.

Alenia faces the challenge of building the U.S. assembly line quickly to meet government expectations, as well as crafting an efficient process to produce the aircraft at a high rate. In an unusual turn of events recently, Boeing backed out of its partnership with Alenia over JCA (AW&ST, June 16, 2008, p.27).

Photo: Alenia Aeronautica

Source
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/C2706178.xml&headline=Alenia%20Flies%20First%20C-27J%20JCA%20For%20U.S.%20Army

[tigershark]

This aircraft interests me I would like to see some orders being picked up from other users.  Maybe a poor man's AWACS, naval patrol, or  gunship could be built off this aircraft.