USCG achieves IOC for C-27J
The US Coast Guard (USCG) Air Station Sacramento, California, has achieved initial operational capability (IOC) for the Alenia C-27J Spartan medium range surveillance aircraft, it was announced on 6 July.
Fourteen C-27Js are being integrated into the USCG’s operational fleet, with four aircraft delivered to date. Airworthiness certifications have been obtained for each aircraft and a logistics programme developed, including the acquisition of spare parts and training devices.
The C-27Js will provide medium-range air capability for the USCG’s search and rescue, disaster response, drug and migrant interdiction and maritime patrol missions.
The C-27Js are being outfitted with weather radar and communications equipment capable of supporting transport and other coast guard missions, including an integrated surface search radar, electro-optical/infrared sensors and a standardised Minotaur mission system to enhance their ability to detect, classify and identify maritime targets.
The remaining two C-27Js of Air Station Sacramento are scheduled to be delivered in 2017. The aircraft will replace four HC-130H Hercules long range surveillance aircraft which are being reassigned to the US Forest Service.
Air Station Clearwater, Florida, will receive the next operational C-27J. In total, it will receive six C-27Js.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Competitive P17B tender marks a shift in Indian Navy frigate procurement]()
Competitive P17B tender marks a shift in Indian Navy frigate procurement
The Indian Navy's P17B programme is expected to combine greater weapons capacity with a competitive domestic construction model, although key systems could remain dependent on international supply chains.
-
![How France’s SNLE 3G programme is reshaping the naval nuclear industrial base]()
How France’s SNLE 3G programme is reshaping the naval nuclear industrial base
Extending far beyond a four-submarine replacement programme, France’s ballistic missile submarine effort is a decades-long industrial initiative designed to preserve the country’s ability to build and sustain nuclear-powered strategic platforms.
-
![China’s mineral processing dominance exposes naval supply chain vulnerabilities]()
China’s mineral processing dominance exposes naval supply chain vulnerabilities
Competition for critical minerals, and China’s dominance of their processing, is emerging as a decisive factor in future naval procurement programmes.
-
![Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition]()
Suppliers await next step in Australia’s mine warfare transition
Australia’s mine countermeasure capability remains in flux as the Huon-class nears retirement, but accelerated investment in autonomous systems is opening a path for industry.
-
![Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?]()
Can the US Navy ask Indo-Pacific allies to do more while training with them less?
As the Iran War draws US ships and marine corps units away from the Indo-Pacific, curtailed exercises and a temporary carrier gap are exposing tensions between Washington’s demand for more self-reliant allies and the joint training needed to realise that ambition.
