The Last Mile

The Longest Mile

Winner of a Competitive Evaluation Process Ahead of Its Airbus C295 Competitor, the C-27j Was Ordered by the Commonwealth Following a 20-year Search for a Suitable Caribou Replacement.

An Evolved Variant of Alenia Aeronautica’s G. 222 Mediumsized Stol Transport, the C-27j Features the Same Radar, Cockpit Layout and Rolls-royce Ae 2100- D2 Powerplants as the Lockheed Martin C-130j (in Service With the Raaf’s 37 Squadron), and Features a Strengthened Cargo Floor, Kneeling Ability, 16 Cockpit Windows for Situational Awareness and a Fully Independent Auxiliary Power Unit That Eliminates the Need for External Ground Power.

The Spartan is Currently Operated by 13 Countries, and Was Selected for the Us’s Ill-fated Joint Cargo Aircraft (Jca) Program. The Jca Program Was Cancelled in Early 2012 Due to Budget Constraints and Inter-service Wrangling Between the Us Air Force and Air National Guard, but It Was That Program That Allowed Australia to Acquire Its C-27js Under a Foreign Military Sales (Fms) Case.

Twenty-one C-27js Were Built for the Air National Guard of Which 15 Were in Ang Service, Two Were Atwaco, Texas for Training, and Four Had Yet to Be Delivered When the Aircraft Were Retired in 2013. All Entered Storage at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. Subsequently Seven C-27js Have Been Allocated to Us Special Operations Command and 14 Have Been Allocated to the Us Coast Guard.

In Late 2012, Following the Withdrawal of the C-130h, Australia Formally Initiated the Fms Acquisition of the C-27j in a $1. 4 Billion Deal That Covered 10 Aircraft and Associated Spares and Training Systems, With the Aircraft Built in Italy by Alenia and Flown to Waco, Texas for Fitout and Flight Testing by C-27j Jca Prime Contractor L-3 Communications.

Separate Agreements With Alenia, as Oem, Ensure That the Raaf Can Operate, Maintain, Support Software and Modify the Aircraft Throughout Life-of-type.

The Decision to Select the Spartan as the Aircraft to Fulfil Air 8000 Phase 2 Met With Strong Objection From Airbus, Which Noted That the Commonwealth Had Opted Not to Run an Open Tender Process in Favour of a Sole-source Buy via Fms.

“when Compared to Other Projects With Similar Size Price Tags That Go Through an Arduous Process of Tender Responses and Deep Investigation of All Areas Concerning Ownership and Capability, This Effort Falls Short of a Full Evaluation Process,” Argued Airbus Military.

Against This, the Then Minister for Defence, Stephen Smith Stated in May 2012: “a Competitive, Comprehensive and Comparative Analysis Was Conducted by Defence, the Defence Materiel Organisation and Air Force. An Equal and Same Opportunity Was Given to Both Airbus Military and Alenia,” and Furthermore, “the Spartan Was Chosen Due to Its Ability to Fly Higher, Further and With a Greater Payload. ”

Startin’ the Spartan

Wgcdr Daniel Rich is the Outgoing Deputy Director of the C-27j Transition Team, Having Arrived Into the Position in 2012.

The Transition Team is Based in Canberra, and Acts as the Parent Wing for the Squadron Reformed to Operate the Spartan, 35 Squadron.

To Date Three C-27js Have Been Delivered to the Raaf, With Two Now Based at 35sqn’s Temporary Home of Raaf Richmond, Conducting Operational Test and Evaluation (Ot&e), With the Third Currently in the Us for Training.

Currently, Training is Being Provided by L-3 Communications From Its Facility in Waco, Texas Located Alongside L-3’s Platform Integration Division (Pid) in Which ‘green’ C-27js Are Fitted Out With Ballistic Protection Matting, Ew/self-protection Systems, and Communications Suite.

“we’re Training Right Now, as Part of the Original Fms Case. It’s Being Provided by Contractors, While Using the Adf Airworthiness System, So It’s in Our Defence Aviation and Safety Program,” Wgcdr Rich Explained.

“what That Means is Those Aircraft in the States Are on the Australian Register, Flying Under Aussie Callsigns and Under Diplomatic Clearances, and Those Contractors Are Operating as if They Were Operating Out of Richmond. That’s a Result of the Us Divestment, and We Took on That Responsibility. So That System is Training Our Pilots, Loadies and Technicians Right Now.

“we’ve Had a Number of Maintenance Courses Completed and They’re Operating at the Squadron, We’ve Had Three Aircrew Courses Completed and They’re Operating in the Squadron. Our Ultimate Solution is to Come Back to Australia in Due Course, and That’ll Be Part of Thelife Support Arrangements That Are Put in Place Long Term. ” Aircrew, Loadmaster and Technician Training Will Be Eventually Conducted Locally When the Squadron Moves to Its Permanent Home at Raaf Amberley in 2019. For Now, the C-27j Transition Team is Working on Building Up a Cadre of Future Instructors Who Will Enable Conversion to Be Undertaken Without Leaving Australia.

“like Any Platform the Schoolhouse Gets You to a Certain Level. The Main Operating Part of the Squadron Will Be in Developing and Using Our Experienced Qfi and Check-qualified Captains to Do Upgrades and Enhancements of Our Crews, Which Will Release More Capability. We’re in the Early Part of Our Operation of the C-27j and We Have a Lot of Development and Role Expansion That We’ll Be Doing as We Move Through Our Initial Operational Capability (Ioc) Towards Full Operational Capability (Foc). ”

Current Activities

On June 25 This Year, A34-001, or ‘aus01’, the First C-27j Manufactured for Australia, Touched Down at Raaf Richmond. It, and Sister Aircraft A34‑002 Are Currently Engaged in the Type’s Ot&e Program.

“these Two Aircraft Are Conducting Activities, From Raise, Train and Sustain Operations, to Getting Crews More Proficient on the Aircraft and Showing It to the Wider Adf. The Us Air National Guard Had This Aircraft Operating in Afghanistan, So Its Operational History is Helping Us to Go Straight Away,” Wgcdr Rich Said.

“our Crews Are Doing Air Drop, Nvg Ops in the States Now, So for Ot&e, We’re Focused on Integrating That Capability in the Adf. That’s a Case of Making Sure Our Support Agencies Have Sufficient Understanding to Exploit Our Aircraft Through the Adf Tasking System. That’s Really the Main Focus of Ot&e, That of Integration Rather Than Releasing New Capability. ” Current Plans Call for Australia’s Fourth C-27j to Join the Waco-based Training System, While Aircraft A34-005 is Expected to Arrive in Australia in the Mid to Latter Part of 2016.

Wgcdr Rich Told Australian Aviation That as Things Stand, Ioc is Expected to Be Reached With Four Aircraft. Foc With All 10 is Expected by 2019.

Operational Philosophy

by Virtue of Its Size, Tactical Performance and Ability to Access Remote and Unprepared Strips, the C-27j Will Find Itself Working Regularly With the Australian Army. Wgcdr Rich Outlined Something of the Battlefield Airlift Philosophy That Will Underpin the C-27’s Operations.

“the Air Mobility Network is Just That – a Network. It Goes From the Kc-30 and C-17, Right Through as You Increase the Need for Access, You Trade Off Payload and Range and You Head Through C-130 and C-27 to Rotary-wing and Chinook. We Are Going to Fit Hand-in-glove With Those, and One of the Advantages

other Aircraft Don’t Provide the Combination of Battlefield Accessibility, Payload, Speed.

Wgcdr Daniel Richof the C-27 is the Size and Shape of Its Cargo Compartment; We Now Have an Ability to Cross-load Cargo From the C-17 Through to C-130 and the C-27 and Into the Chinook With No Rebuilding and Repacking, You Just Turn the Pallets Sideways. Flexibility Like That Makes It Much Easier and All These Airlift Assets Are Going to Link Together. Are We Talking to Army About That Integration? Absolutely. The Caribou Would Often Deploy Out of the Same Paddock That the Army Were Operating Out of. At Times, We’ll Do That With the Bfa as Well. It’s About Understanding How We Best Integrate, Using Whatever Asset Might Be on Hand, Whether It’s Us Loading a Chinook or Chinooks Meeting Our Hercs Somewhere. ” Plan Jericho and Its Vision of a Networked Future Joint Force Across the Adf Means the Spartan Will Operate as Part of a System of Systems in a Way Inconceivable to Caribou Crews. With Its Glass Cockpit, C-130j‑common Apn-241 Search Radar, Nvg Compatibility, Gps, Hud and Comprehensive Self‑protection Measures, the C-27j is a Multi-generational Leap Ahead of the Venerable Caribou.

“the C-27j Provides the Bridge Between the Army’s Rotary-wing Assets, the Chinook, and Our Other Transports in Air Force, the C-130 and C-17,” Wgcdr Rich Explained.

“importantly, Even When Used Collectively, All Our Other Aircraft Don’t Provide the Combination of Battlefield Accessibility, Payload, Speed and Range That We’ll Unlock With C-27j. Certainly, With Other Enhancements in Air Force, Like Plan Jericho, We’ll Evolve New Operating Support Arrangements That Will Allow Us to Exploit the C-27j Battlefield Airlift Capability as Part of an Integrated System. It’s More Than Looking at [the Spartan] as a One‑for‑one Replacement for Caribou. Airlift Capability Doesn’t Work That Way; We Work Collectively Across All Our Platforms. ” a Key Determinant of the C-27j’s Selection Was Its Ability to Carry Australian Army Vehicles Such as the Mercedes G-wagon, Enabling It to Deliver Mission-critical, Time-sensitive Cargo to Ground Forces via Airfields Inaccessible to the C-130j and C-17.

“it’s About Access. There Are Approximately 1,900 Airfields in the Region That the C-27j Can Operate in, and About 500 a J-model Herc Can. In That Highly Mobile Part of the Battlespace, a Long Way Forward Where the Army is Moving Constantly, the Chances of Coming Across a Large Runway Are Slim. We Can Get Around That by Airdropping From Bigger Platforms, but Being Able to Put the Aircraft on the Ground at Some of Those Rudimentary and Austere Locations, With the Survivability of the Ewsp and Ballistic Protection the C-27j Has, Means We’ll Be Right Up There, Forward. ”

Wallaby Airlines

35sqn Has a Distinguished History in the Annals of the Raaf, Having Operated Dakotas in the Pacific During Ww2 and the Caribou With Distinction in Vietnam. As the Caribou Fleet Was Drawn Down the Squadron Was Merged With 38sqn in 2000.

With 38sqn Now Operating the King Air 350 in the Light Transport Role, 35sqn Was Re-raised in Early 2013 Prior to the Arrival of the C-27j.

Currently, the Squadron is Overseen by the C-27j Transition Team Which, When the Aircraft Reaches Ioc, Will Hand Over the Squadron to Its Parent Wing, 84wg.

Wgcdr Rich Outlined the Reasons for This Arrangement: “we’re Not Called a Wing and We Have No Other Squadron Right Now. One of the Reasons We Stand Up Atransition Team is That 84wg, With the C-130 and 34sqn Deployed Constantly in an Operational Theatre, as Well as Providing a Real Service to Government, Are Not Resourced to Introduce a New Capability. So We Stand Up a Transition Team to Do All That Preparatory Work and Development Work to Exercise Required Wing‑level Command and Oversight of the Capability. ”

Spartan Accommodation

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Having Previously Been Based in Townsville, the Newly Re-activated 35sqn Will Move From Its Present Home at Raaf Base Richmond to Newly-built Facilities at the Ever-growing Raaf Base Amberley. Once Resident There, the Spartan Will Share the Base With the Raaf’s Super Hornet, Growler, C-17 and Kc-30 Aircraft.

While Amberley’s Single Runway Looks Set to Be Increasingly Busy, There Was a Hard-nosed Strategic Logic to the Basing Decision.

“the Biggest Thing is About Our Ability to Project. If You Think of an Operation When Something Gets Called Out, We Need to React Quickly and We Have Aircraft and People on Levels of Notice to Be Able to Achieve That. When That Call Comes, the Spartan, as Bfa, Needs to Get Itself to Theatre. What It Needs is Our Strategic Assets to Be Able to Take It Forward – the Support, Supplies, People and Equipment to Operate It at a Distant Base.

“having Our Two Assets – the Spartan and C-17a – Together, We Can Achieve an Extra 1,000 to 2,000km of Projection Than if We Had Them in Two Different Places. If the C-27 Was at Richmond, and the C-17 Was Sitting at Amberley, Then in That First 24 Hours, the C-17 Would Have to Fly to Richmond, Load, and Then Go the Next Day. Whereas if They’re Co-located, as Soon as the Call Goes Out, Our Support Staff Load the C-17 and It Launches. ”