Bulgaria Changes Its Order for up to 8 C-27J “Baby Hercs”

C-27J: Isn’t he adorable?(click to view full) Initial order drops to 3 planes. (Dec 16/10) In February 2006, Finmeccanica announced that its C-27J Spartan (aka. “Baby Herc”), developed as a joint venture between its Alenia Aeronautica subsidiary and Lockheed Martin, had been finalized as Bulgaria’s choice to replace its current fleet of Antonov An-26 “Curl” airlifters. The Bulgarians want up to 8 C-27Js, which share significant commonalities with the C-130J Hercules that extend to most of their avionics and their engines as well as their look. The “Baby Hercs” will be used for troops and material transport within Bulgaria, and may also participate in NATO operations (Bulgaria has been a NATO member since April 2004) as they are fully compliant with civil and military interoperability standards. The deal was eventually set as 5 C-27Js for EUR 91.8 million… but that has changed. C-130J Hercules(click to view full) The C-27J has been ordered so far by the Air Forces of Italy (12) and of Greece (12, in a deal worth EUR 297 million). In the U.S. the aircraft eventually won the JCA (Joint Cargo Aircraft) program to provide local airlift within theater. In 2006, Finmeccanica noted that the C-27J is also […]