Indian Defence Review

On the 23rd of June 2006 Lithuania signed the contract for 3 C-27J and is using its aircraft to transport troops and material within international and NATO operations. The C-27J allows the Lithuanian Armed Forces, engaged in a modernization campaign, to fully respect the interoperability standards requested to the NATO countries. The first aircraft was delivered in December 2006 and has already been extensively used to support Lithuanian troops in Afghanistan. The second aircraft was delivered at the end of 2008 and the third one in October 2009. In October 2011 Alenia Aermacchi signed a contract for the logistic support. Romania signed a contract for 7 C-27J at the beginning of December 2007. The first two aircraft landed in Bucharest in April 2010, the third one in March 2011, the fourth and the fifth ones in December 2011, while the remaining airplanes will be delivered within 2012. Alenia Aermacchi has also been contracted for an aircraft simulator, that has been recently delivered. Morocco, first non-NATO customer, ordered 4 aircraft in September 2008, within a contract of about 130 million euro. All 4 planes have been delivered. Mexico ordered 4 aircraft in July 2011, within a contract of about 200 million dollars. The first aircraft arrived in Mexico City on time for the military parade on September 16th 2011 and the whole supply will be completed by the end of 2012. The contract envisages also the logistics support of the whole fleet for several years.