The cool video in this post features the Italian Air Force C-27J Spartan display flown during this year edition of the world famous Royal International Air Tattoo airshow.
Filmed by our friend Dafydd Phillips, the cool video in this post features the Aeronautica Militare Italiana (AMI, Italian Air Force) C-27J Spartan display flown during this year edition of the world famous Royal International Air Tattoo airshow.
“Forget The fast jets!! The Pilot of this C-27 Spartan from the Italian Air Force has no perception of gravity. This is one display I never miss on my annual visit to The Royal International Air Tattoo. As if going inverted several times during the display then watch the landing and imagine being on board,” Phillips says.
The AMI operates the twin-turboprop C-27J medium transport since 2006. It has since largely superseded the Aeritalia C-222 (previously G222) on which the Spartan was based, and taken part in multi-national operations, not least in Afghanistan.
The C-27J boasts the largest cargo compartment in its category, capable of supporting about five tonnes per square metre and adjustable in height and inclination for easy loading and unloading. With the best descent and climb rates (4,000ft/min and 2,500 ft/min), it can perform tactical manoeuvres at 3g and is qualified for short take-off and landing (STOL) on snowy, sandy and unprepared runways.
A multitude of kits and easy to install and transportable roll-on/roll-off mission systems allow the C-27J to be rapidly transformed into the configuration required for the relevant mission. As a ‘tactical airlifter’, the aircraft’s versatility extends from airlifts of troops and cargo to airdrops of paratroopers and materials, from medical battlefield evacuation to VIP transportation, from humanitarian assistance and natural disaster response to firefighting.
The C-27J can be configured in the Maritime Patrol (MPA), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Command-Control-Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C3ISR) versions.
Visitors to RIAT 2022 witnessed a spectacular display from the Italian C-27J operated by the Reparto Sperimentale Volo flight test centre, featuring many manoeuvres not usually seen performed by an airlift aircraft.
Photo credit: Dafydd Phillips
