Northrop Grumman Australia and Leonardo have signed an MoU to team to offer the C-27J Spartan to New Zealand for that country’s Future Air Mobility Capability (FAMC) program.
The MoU will not only cover the sale of the aircraft, but the through-life support (TLS) services for the system as an adjunct to that already provided to the RAAF’s fleet of 10 C-27Js.
C-27J are being offered to replace the RNZAF’s C-130H Hercules transports in service, and would open up a larger number of New Zealand’s airfields to fixed-wing transport services. NZ also has a requirement for a maritime search and rescue (SAR) capability, a mission the C-27J could also potential fulfil if configured similarly to those C-27J operated by the US Coast Guard.