The US C-27J JCA fleet including the recently delivered third and fourth aircraft has logged 1,000 flight hours

The C-27J Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) team, led by L-3 Communications and in participation with Alenia North America, a subsidiary of Alenia Aeronautica, has announced that the United States’ C-27J JCA fleet has logged 1,000 flight hours. The fleet includes the recently delivered third and fourth aircraft. The four delivered aircraft are supporting aircrew training and product qualification testing (PQT). The training, which is being conducted at the newly established schoolhouse, is scheduled to continue throughout this year and will be accelerated as operational demands increase.

Giovanni Bertolone, CEO, Alenia Aeronautica, said, “The achievement of 1,000 flight hours is very significant and attest to the reliability of the aircraft and the effectiveness of the collaboration between the companies involved in the programme, the logistical support provided by Global Military Aircraft Systems (GMAS), L-3 Vertex maintainers and the technical support/logistics group of Alenia Aeronautica.”

The pilot and loadmaster training activities are being supported by the GMAS-owned test bed aircraft and conducted with the support of L-3 link simulation and training. The full-motion operational flight trainer (OFT), built by Alenia Aeronautica and L-3, is scheduled to be delivered in the fourth quarter of next year. The programme is moving towards a multi-service operational test and evaluation (MOT&E) with two army and two air force crews. These crews will fly a rigorous test schedule in proving out the C-27J JCA’s operational capabilities.

The JCA is central to the US Army’s aviation modernisation programme thus restructuring and revitalising its aviation assets to reflect current and anticipated needs. As a key component in its fixed wing fleet, the US Army will procure the JCA to support the operations and to transport supply items and personnel to forward deployments in remote locations. The JCA will also augment the Air Force’s existing fleet of intrat-heater airlifters. The JCA will play a key role in providing responsive aerial sustainment and critical resupply support for the manoeuver force to maintain operational momentum.