On Friday, the Gatineau Executive Airport was host to a General Dynamics presentation for their contender in the Fixed Wing Search and Rescue (FWSAR) replacement for the Canadian Armed Forces known as the C-27J Spartan. On hand to excite the crowd was a C-27J from the Peruvian Air Force, one of 13 air forces who already use this platform, on its’ way back home from Italy. This aircraft was in the cargo transport configuration, not the Search and Rescue configuration currently in use by the US Coast Guard and the Royal Australian Air Force and what would be required by the RCAF but the basic platform is the same.
Now, there are lots of stats about this airplane and they can be gleaned from other websites but suffice it to say that there are some key differentiators which need to be looked at for this Italian made bird. The thing that struck me first is that it looks like a baby Hercules aircraft and in talking to some of the crew, it is. The engines are similar, the landing gear similar (although these ones can lift/lower the entire aircraft to ease loading cargo), flight deck, etc. A lot of similarities. So it has lots of power and can fly long distances and durations.
The biggest nod from me is the size of the cargo area, which can be reconfigured to FWSAR usage. It’s huge for an aircraft this size. Standing room is 8 feet which is great if you consider a SAR tech who is usually a large person (athletic, tall, etc), hobbled with a 70 pound pack plus parachute, plus gaining an inch or two from combat boots and helmet. Many SAR aircraft are only 6 feet tall maximum in the center so the SAR Techs are actually usually working hunched over. The other really good thing is the rear loading doors which allow the SAR Tech, fully configured as above, to just walk out the back of the aircraft into the sky. No having to fight to squeeze through a door in the fuselage, no having to worry about propeller buffeting when exiting the aircraft, etc.
The last point for me was the fact that this aircraft is much heavier than the Buffalo that it will replace. But, it is also much larger and carries much more fuel, cargo, and capable of multiple configurations and roles. All this and it can still take off in 500 metres!
Certainly something to be considered.
As an added little treat, 2 x CH-146 Griffon helicopters showed up to park during the morning.
To see all the pictures, CLICK HERE
