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C-27J:Another bone job from the Air Force to the Army

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  • #16
    Originally posted by gf0012-aust View Post
    unfort the C.27 debacle in US DoD also impacts on Audt DoD as the Spartan was one of the final runner considerations in our own selection options. Interoperability being a key. Sustainment however is a huge key and Alenia getting (justifiably) grumpy adds some critical hurt to any choice process.
    C-27s back in the news...

    US scraps entire fleet of Afghan C-27A cargo planes

    Stars and Stripes
    December 28, 2012

    KABUL — The U.S. military is scrapping the Afghan air force’s entire fleet of Italian-made cargo planes, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

    U.S. and Afghan officials told the paper that the Afghan military isn’t expected to have an independent and fully functioning air force until around 2017, well after the withdrawal of most U.S. and international troops.

    On the west end of Kabul International Airport, twin-engine C-27As sit side by side, sunlight reflecting off their gray wings and the green, black, and red of the Afghan flag emblazoned on their tails. For more than a year, though, most of the planes had been little more than expensive aviation exhibitions, unable to fly due to lack of spare parts and maintenance.

    Now, despite spending nearly $600 million on the program, the U.S. is canceling the contract for the aircraft and disposing of all 16 planes delivered to the Afghan Air Force, the Journal reported.

    Alenia Aermacchi North America, a unit of Italian defense conglomerate Finmeccanica SpA, failed to meet the requirements of their contract to maintain the fleet, according to an email from U.S. Air Force spokesman Ed Gulick, who was quoted in the Journal.

    “This decision comes after failed attempts by the contractor to generate a sufficient number of fully mission-capable aircraft that would provide an effective airlift capability for the AAF,” Gulick said in the email.

    An Alenia representative was quoted in the Journal as saying the company had not received word of the decision and that the program had recently shown improvement.

    “It’s all a bit surprising that this decision is being made now when the [remediation] plan is being fully implemented,” the representative said.

    The entire fleet of C-27As was grounded in December 2011 and even recently only four to six planes have been able to operate at any one time, Afghan Air Force spokesman Col. Mohammad Bahadur said in an interview with Stars and Stripes.

    “The basic problem is that these airplanes were purchased without spare parts,” Bahadur said. “For a small part, you need to wait for weeks or months.”

    For the Afghan military, still struggling to operate independently, the lack of cargo aircraft has been a blow to an already shaky logistics system. The Afghan security forces have leaned heavily on their fleet of Russian helicopters and Cessna 208 planes. But those aircraft struggle to keep up with demand, especially on longer routes, such as the roughly 300-mile haul between the capital and Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second city and still a major center for fighting.

    Shortages of fuel and parts are epidemic for Afghan troops, whose Humvees and pickups often lie dormant for days; many units complain of a shortage of ammunition.

    The U.S. is set to deliver four C-130s, four-engine cargo planes that are the workhorses of the U.S. Air Force, to the Afghan Air Force in 2013, said Ministry of Defense spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi said in an interview with Stars and Stripes.

    “A military that doesn’t have a plane is like a man without legs,” Azimi said.

    Stars and Stripes’ Heath Druzin and Zubair Babakarkhail contributed to this report.

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    • #17
      update:

      From "bone job" to bone yard to Coast Guard via NAVAIR, at least somebody will get some use out of them.

      US Federal Contract Notice: Department of the Navy (New Jersey) Issues Solicitation for "C-27J Missionization"

      October 20, 2016 Thursday

      WASHINGTON: Department of the Navy, Naval Air Systems Command officer has issued requirement for "C-27J Missionization"

      Solicitation No: N68335-16-R-0263

      Notice Type: Presolicitation
      Posted Date: October 20, 2016

      Description: The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Lakehurst, NJ on behalf of the US Coast Guard intends to award an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) fixed price contract, on a sole source basis, with Leonardo-Finmeccanica, Roma, Italy.


      The contract ordering period is estimated to be four years. The place of performance is the contractor's facility in Turin, Italy and at NACWAD Patuxent River, MD.
      The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) has been tasked by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) to missionize the C-27J Spartan aircraft with nineteen (19) different sub-systems that include a Multi-Mode RADAR, Electro-Optical Infra-Red (EO/IR) High Definition turret, several other sensors (i.e. Direction Finding AIS) and communications equipment. This Mission Suite (MS) will be integrated by the United States Navy maritime mission processor capability, Minotaur, providing the USCG with their 3rd generation maritime patrol capability.

      Set Aside: N/A

      The NAICS code number for this requirement: 541

      Contact Details: Contracts Department Hwy. 547 Attn:B562-3C Lakehurst, New Jersey 08733-5083

      Point of Contact(s): Yolanda McCray, Contract Specialist [email protected] Phone: 7323232705



      U.S. Coast Guard introduces first C-27J Medium Range Surveillance airplane in the service’s colors

      By David Cenciotti
      Apr 06 2016
      theaviationist.com

      The U.S. Coast Guard has accepted the first of 14 C-27J Spartan aircraft in the service colors on Mar. 30.

      The Spartan will be introduced into the USCG medium range surveillance aircraft fleet and will conduct drug and migrant interdiction, disaster response, and search and rescue missions.

      The aircraft, belonging to a fleet of 21 Spartans that the U.S. Air Force announced to be mothballing to save money back in 2012, was taken on charge by the Coast Guard HC-27J Asset Project Office (APO) in Elizabeth City, North Carolina; it will be transferred to Air Station Sacramento, California, this summer to continue the station’s transition from the HC-130H to the C-27J.

      [ATTACH=CONFIG]42423[/ATTACH]

      According to a news release, five Spartans have been in operation at the APO since completing the regeneration process; the Coast Guard is conducting test flights on a sixth aircraft with the Air Force’s 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group in Tucson, Arizona, where the process to bring the Spartans out of long-term preservation is completed.

      A second aircraft was delivered to the paint facility March 21, and two of the C-27Js are currently in Sacramento for training purposes.

      In October of 2013 SOCOM was authorized to receive 7 of the cargo planes to replace its fleet of CASA 212 aircraft.

      The USCG 14 C-27Js will supplement a fleet of 15 HC-144s: the Coast Guard had originally ordered 36 of the CH-144s but halved the order once they learned that they could acquire the C-27Js directly from the Air Force at no cost.

      [ATTACH=CONFIG]42422[/ATTACH]




      U.S. Coast Guard Inherits Air Force C-27J Spartans

      by Bill Carey
      January 9, 2014, 7:18 AM
      ainonline.com

      The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) will acquire through an intra-service transfer 14 Alenia Aermacchi C-27J Spartans that the U.S. Air Force planned to store. Congress directed the transfer in the Fiscal Year 2014 defense authorization bill, which President Obama signed on December 26.

      The Department of Defense transfer “without reimbursement” to the Department of Homeland Security, the USCG’s parent agency, takes care of the remainder of the 21 C-27Js that the Air Force received but sought to retire to cut costs. In October, the Pentagon assigned seven of the airlifters to the Special Operations Command.

      In a press release announcing the transfer, Alenia Aermacchi said initial flight operations by the USCG will begin within six to 12 months. The service will use the C-27J for medium-range surveillance missions, including maritime patrol, drug and migrant interdiction, disaster response and search and rescue. “The company also anticipates the USCG will immediately begin the process for expanding the C-27J’s capabilities with tailored mission kits to include surface-search radars, electro-optical sensors and mission suites installed on all 14 planes,” the Italian manufacturer said.

      C-27Js will supplement 18 Airbus North America HC-144A Ocean Sentry maritime patrol aircraft that the USCG ordered under its $24 billion “Deepwater” fleet modernization program. The service declared initial operational capability in 2009 of the medium-range surveillance aircraft, a version of the CN235-300M twin-turboprop. Ocean Sentries operate from Coast Guard Air Stations in Mobile, Ala.; Cape Cod, Mass.; and Miami.

      As of June last year, the Airbus Defence and Space factory in Seville, Spain, had delivered 15 Ocean Sentries; three more deliveries are planned this year, according to the USCG. The service originally planned to acquire 36 HC-144As, but that total may be reduced because of the imminent arrival of the C-27Js.

      Medium Range Surveillance Aircraft

      https://www.uscg.mil/acquisition/mrs/

      The HC-144A Ocean Sentry and the C-27J make up the Coast Guard’s medium range surveillance aircraft fleet. These aircraft are instrumental in providing the capability necessary for the Coast Guard to fulfill its maritime patrol, drug and migrant interdiction, disaster response, and search and rescue missions more effectively.

      Why this program?

      The program was established in fiscal year 2002 to expand the Coast Guard’s patrol hour capacity and replace the aging aircraft fleet. The Coast Guard needed greater endurance to remain on-scene longer and track targets for longer periods of time. Improved sensor capability and increased passenger capacity also were identified as necessary for better mission effectiveness.

      How is the fleet being acquired?

      The medium range surveillance fleet includes 18 HC-144A Ocean Sentries. Ocean Sentries are capable of carrying out a wide range of Coast Guard surveillance, search and rescue, and transport missions and can be outfitted with mission system pallets, a roll-on, roll-off suite of electronic equipment that enables the aircrew to compile data from the aircraft's multiple integrated sensors to transmit and receive both classified and unclassified information from other assets including other aircraft, surface vessels and shore facilities. With multiple voice and data communications capabilities and satellite communications, the HC-144A is contributing, via a networked Command and Control system, to the common tactical picture and common operating picture. The aircraft is also equipped with a vessel automatic identification system, direction finding equipment, an electro-optical/infrared system and a multi-mode search radar to improve the Ocean Sentry’s situational awareness and responsiveness.

      The Coast Guard is also in the process of receiving and missionizing 14 C-27J aircraft that are being transferred from the U.S. Air Force under the direction of the National Defense Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2014. The multi-year project is supported by the C-27J Asset Project Office, which was stood up in Elizabeth City, N.C. The APO’s primary mission is to provide a purposeful, sequential plan to incorporate the C-27Js into Coast Guard operations. Specific functionalities of the APO include development of Coast Guard-specific operational and maintenance procedures, training plans, technical manuals, a logistics program and test and evaluation procedures. Airworthiness certifications must be obtained for all aircraft before they can be utilized. As originally delivered, the C-27Js are outfitted with weather radar and communications equipment capable of supporting transport and other Coast Guard missions. Future modifications, including specialized components such as surface search radar and electro-optical/infrared sensors, are planned to enhance the aircraft’s capability to carry out the full range of Coast Guard missions.


      C-27J Medium Range Surveillance Aircraft: Program Profile

      https://www.uscg.mil/acquisition/mrs/features_2.asp

      [ATTACH=CONFIG]42421[/ATTACH]

      The Coast Guard is integrating 14 C-27J Spartans into its medium range surveillance aircraft fleet to operate along with its HC-144 Ocean Sentries performing drug and migrant interdiction, disaster response, and search and rescue missions. Following regeneration and missionization, the aircraft’s range, endurance, speed and payload will make it a valuable asset in addressing the Coast Guard’s maritime flight hours gap.

      Under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014, 13 C-27J aircraft are being regenerated from a preserved status at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. A 14th aircraft will be transferred to the Coast Guard once it is formally accepted by the Air Force. As delivered, the C-27Js are outfitted with weather radar and communications equipment capable of supporting transport and other Coast Guard missions. The Coast Guard is working with Naval Air Systems Command to determine which additional specialized equipment should be installed to enhance and expand the aircraft’s capabilities and completed a system requirements review Aug. 10, 2016. The review indicates that the Coast Guard and NAVAIR agree on the missionization package requirements and that initial systems development can begin.

      The HC-27J Asset Project Office in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, is overseeing regeneration of the aircraft and certifying their airworthiness as well as conducting many of the acquisition duties, including development of Coast Guard-specific crew duties, procedures, technical manuals, curricula, and test and evaluation reporting. Air Station Sacramento reached initial operational capability for C-27Js when it received the fourth of its six planned Spartans July 1, 2016. Nine aircraft have completed the regeneration process and are stationed at the APO or in Sacramento; all aircraft are scheduled to complete the regeneration process by 2018.


      Characteristics
      •Length: 74 feet 6 inches
      •Wingspan: 94 feet 2 inches
      •Height: 31 feet 8 inches
      •Maximum Weight: 70,000 pounds
      •Cruise Speed: 290 knots true airspeed
      •Range: 2,675 nautical miles
      •Endurance: 12 hours

      Features
      •Standardized Minotaur mission system across all Coast Guard fixed-wing aircraft (under development)
      •Military communications
      •Multimode radar
      •Large search windows
      •Night vision goggle capabilities
      Attached Files
      Last edited by JRT; 27 Oct 16,, 18:11.
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      • #18
        Actually, these should be perfect for what the Coast Guard does; I always thought the HC-130's were a little overkill. Sure, they have great range and persistence, ideal for an SAR mission, but how often does the Coast Guard have to transport 50,000 lbs. of equipment and/or materiel? I would guess that about 90% of the USCG missions could be handled just fine with the C-27J.
        "There is never enough time to do or say all the things that we would wish. The thing is to try to do as much as you can in the time that you have. Remember Scrooge, time is short, and suddenly, you're not there any more." -Ghost of Christmas Present, Scrooge

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        • #19
          Many air forces use similar aircraft for maritime patrol. The Portuguese Air Force, for example, uses the CASA C-295 for that and SAR. The CN-235 and ATR-42 also have maritime patrol versions.

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