C-27 Spartan
The U.S. Air Force's C-27 Spartan, nicknamed Chuck, is modified from the G222 airframe manufactured in Naples, Italy, by Alenia, S.P.A. Chrysler Technologies Airborne Systems, Inc., as prime contractor, procured G222-710 aircraft from Alenia, and modified those aircraft by installing upgraded navigation, communication, and mission systems required for C-27A operation.
The C-27A Spartan is a twin turboprop engine aircraft designed to meet Air Force requirements for a rugged, medium size airland transport. The Spartan, which looked like a toned-down, twin engine version of the C-130, gave U.S. military troops a unique, short-take-off-and-landing capability, providing access to airstrips otherwise unreachable by fixed-wing aircraft. The C-27 can carry up to 18,000 pounds of fuel and cargo and can fly farther than cargo helicopters. Much like its big brother, the C-130 Hercules, the C-27 also has the unique ability to land and take-off on extremely small (less than 3,000 feet) undeveloped strips of land. These advantages made the C-27 a key player in delivering food, water and other supplies to remote areas that other airplanes and helicopters can't get to. That included support of Hurricane Mitch relief efforts in Honduras and other Central America countries in 1998. While C-130 Hercules aircraft out of Howard ferried most of the supplies into Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, it was the C-27s that delivered them to the remote locations hit hardest by the devastating storm.
The aircraft was particularly suited for short-to-medium range tactical operations into semi-prepared airfields as short as 1,800 feet. The C-27A is an all-weather, day/night transport with capabilities to perform medical evacuation missions. It can carry 24 litters and four medical attendants, or 34 ground troops. The Spartan has a cargy capacity of more than 2,000 cubic feet, or 12,000 pounds. The C-27A operates with a three person crew of aircraft commander, copilot and loadmaster.
The C-27 Spartan, which has been in the Air Force inventory since 1990, has played an integral part in other Southern Command missions as well. Missions such as counter-drug operations and peacekeeping missions have kept the C-27 busy during its tenure with SOUTHCOM. One of the C-27's main missions in the late 1990s was MOMEP (Military Observation Mission Ecuador Peru). MOMEP was a peacekeeping mission to help settle a border dispute between Ecuador and Peru. The airstrip there was only capable of handling C-27s.
The Air Force C-27A fleet consisted of 10 aircraft stationed with the 24th Wing at Howard AFB, Panama, and flown by aircrews from 310th Airlift Squadron. The C-27A Spartan transport was Howard’s trademark in recent years. Built for short takeoffs and landings, it flew in and out of remote areas with dirt or grass landing strips. During the Hurricane Mitch relief effort, Spartans ferried tons of relief goods, most to Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. Spartans flew most of the cargo from there to remote areas.
A C-27 Spartan transport normally could fly the round trip from Soto Cano the remote village of Mocoron, Honduras on a single tank, but a cargo-laden one couldn't take off with a full tank. Cargo- laden transports started at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, with partially filled tanks in order to take off. A makeshift fueling point made the airlift possible for the C-27s and a variety of smaller aircraft. Fuel was stored in 500-gallon fuel bladders strapped to cargo pallets and flown to Mocoron by C-27. The transport crews delivered by combat offload -- that is, they landed on the small dirt strip, opened up the cargo door and pulled forward, letting pallets roll off as they taxi for take off.
Despite the C-27's accomplishments, the Air Force retired its inventory of Spartans in 1999 for financial reasons. Parts and maintenance costs were the leading reasons for the program's cancellation. The final seven C-27A Spartans were flown from Panama to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center in January 1999. The event marked both the end of an era in Panama and the first sign of the impending closure of Howard AFB in accordance with the terms of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977.
