Frontier India Strategic and Defence - News, Analysis, Opinion

Written on October 7, 2007 – 10:37 am | by Frontier India Strategic and Defence |

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) denied the protest filed by Raytheon Company, Space and Airborne Systems, that offered the EADS CASA C.295 challenging the contract awarded by the Pentagon to L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, as prime contractor and a team including Alenia North America, an Alenia Aeronautica company and Boeing, to provide 78 units of the C-27J Joint Cargo Aircraft to the US armed forces.

The C-27J has been already ordered by the Hellenic, Italian, Bulgarian, Lithuanian Air Forces and by US.Army and US.Air Force for a total 110 aircraft. Moreover, the C-27J has been recently selected by Romania (7 aircraft).

The C-27J is interoperable and interchangeable with heavier military airlifter like the C-130 in service with many NATO air forces. The C-27J is the only medium tactical airlifter that has the same loading system and capability of the C-130 in carrying NATO standard 463L HCU-6/E pallets, each loaded up to 4,700 kg and to a height of 83 inches (2.2 meters).

The C-27J will replace the U.S. Army’s C-23 Sherpas, C-12 and C-26 aircraft and augment the U.S. Air Forces’ existing fleet of intratheater airlifters.

In June, 2007, L-3 Communications had awarded baseline contract estimated at $2.04 billion over the life of the program to supply a minimum of 78 C-27J Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) to the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force. The JCA program is a Joint Service program designed to fill a critical gap that exists today in intra-theater airlift support for U.S. troops on the ground. Experience in overseas combat operations has demonstrated that America needs an improved capability for medium airlift inside combat theaters and in support of the Global War on Terrorism. The aircraft will play a key role in providing responsive aerial sustainment, critical re-supply, MEDEVAC, troop transport, airdrop operations, humanitarian assistance and missions in support of Homeland Security.