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Leonardo and the Italian National Armaments Directorate have signed a multi-year contract to provide Logistics Support for the Italian Air Force’s fleet of C-27J “Spartan” tactical transport aircraft and for the Full Motion Simulator of the International Training Centre (ITC) at the Air Base in Pisa, headquarters of the 46th Air Brigade.

The contract will run from 2026 to 2028 under a Performance-Based model, ensuring high levels of efficiency for the Italian Air Force’s fleet of 12 aircraft operating out of the Pisa and Pratica di Mare (Rome) bases. During the same period, Leonardo will provide technical and administrative management services for operations at the Air Force’s International Training Center in Pisa and, above all, technical and maintenance support services for the ITC’ flight simulator in Pisa.

Leonardo’s C-27J “Spartan” is the most effective and versatile multi-mission tactical transport aircraft in its class available on the market today. Equipped with two powerful turboprop engines, it offers outstanding performance with extraordinary operational flexibility and economical use. Its ability to operate from unprepared runways and under extreme environmental conditions is unmatched by any other transport aircraft in its category. These exceptional features are taken even further in the enhanced C-27J Spartan Next Generation version, introducing new equipment and aerodynamic solutions.

Thanks to its exceptional structural robustness and the redundancy of its systems, the “Spartan” offers unique reliability, resilience and manoeuvrability, demonstrated during more than 275,000 hours in flight. Ordered and deployed by some of the world’s most important air forces, the C-27J has been extensively tested under the most challenging operational circumstances and continues to prove that it can effectively carry out a wide range of missions every day. Typical tasks of the C-27J include not only transport and airlift operations supporting troops close to the front line (“last tactical mile”), but disaster relief and firefighting missions.

The cabin of the C-27J can be quickly converted into 11 main configurations, each designed to carry out a specific type of mission. The five basic configurations (Cargo Transport, Troop Transport, Medical Evacuation, Cargo Raid, Parachute Raid) are produced using standard kits, and can each be set up in less than 30 minutes. The six optional configurations, requiring additional modules or equipment available to customers on request, are: VIP Transportation, Passenger Transportation, Special Medevac, Biocontainment, Basic and Advanced Firefighting.