Designation: C-27A

Aeritalia C-27A Spartan

Aeritalia C-27A Spartan

The Aeritalia C-27 Spartan was a plane developed by the Italian Air Force and adopted by the U.S. in 1990, retiring in 1999.

This aircraft is not currently on public display.

Initial design studies for what would become the C-27 Spartan began in 1962 for a NATO requirement for a VTOL transport aircraft. This design never went beyond the paper stage; however the Italian Air Force thought the design had promise as a replacement for their C-119 cargo planes, and in 1968 ordered prototypes that eliminated the vertical takeoff capability. The resulting aircraft, a medium sized cargo aircraft with two turboprop engines, first flew in 1970 as the G.222. The aircraft entered service with the Italian Air Force in 1978. In 1990 the U. S. Air Force adopted the aircraft as a short-range cargo aircraft for supporting the U. S. Army’s Special Forces troops and designated the plane as the C-27A Spartan. A total of 10 aircraft were purchased and were based at Howard Air Force Base in Panama. Changes in priorities resulted in the Air Force retiring the aircraft in 1999.  Several of them were taken over by the U.S. Department of State and used to support foreign nations in their anti-drug operations. The aircraft were retired again in 2013 and placed in storage at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.

Wingspan 94 ft 2 in.

Wingspan

Length 74 ft 5.5 in.

Length

Height 32 ft 1 in.

Height

Weight 61,730 lbs (loaded)

Weight

Max. Speed 336 MPH

Maximum Speed

Service Ceiling 25,000 ft

Service Ceiling

Range 740 miles

Range

Engines Two General Electric T64-GE-P4D turboprops with 3,400 horsepower each

Engines

Crew 4

Crew


Manufacturer
Aeritalia

Markings
U. S. Department of State Air Wing, Patrick AFB, Florida, 2013

Designation
C-27A Spartan

Registration
N23743

Serial Number
90-0171

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