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World Defense & Security News - Australia
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| The Royal Australian Air Force takes delivery of its first Alenia C-27J Spartan tactical airlifter | |||
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The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has taken delivery of the first of ten Alenia Aermacchi C-27J Spartan tactical airlifters. The new aircraft has touched down at its new home of RAAF Base Richmond, the Australian Aviation website announced on June 25th, 2015.
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 RAAF C-27J A34-001 tactical airlifter on approach to Richmond(Seth Jaworski) |
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"The aircraft, A34-001, landed at Richmond at approximately 3:45 on Thursday afternoon at the end of the last leg of its delivery flight from prime contractor L-3’s Waco, Texas facility, where it departed on June 15", said the Australian website.
Delivery of the second C-27J, A34-002, is expected for August this year. RAAF's first C-27J Spartan entered Alenia Aermacchi’s Turin assembly line in December 2012 and performed its maiden flight on December 18 2013. It was then ferried to L-3 in Waco in March 2014 for fitment of its ballistic protection matting, EW/self-protection systems, and communications suite. The RAAF then accepted the first two C-27J Spartans onto the Commonwealth register, and commenced training on the aircraft at L-3’s facility at Waco, last December. The C-27Js are being acquired as battlefield airlifters to replace the capability lost with the retirement of the DHC-4 Caribou in 2009. The ten C-27Js ordered by Australia will be based at Amberley. |
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