Alenia G.222
Encyclopedia
The Aeritalia G.222 (formerly Fiat Aviazione
, now Alenia Aeronautica
) is a medium-sized STOL
military transport aircraft
. It was developed to meet a NATO specification, but Italy
was initially the only NATO member to adopt the type. The United States
purchased a small number of G.222s, designating them the C-27A Spartan. The C-27J Spartan is a more modern development with the engines and systems of the C-130J Super Hercules
.
transport aircraft (NATO Basic Military Requirement 4), capable of supporting dispersed V/STOL fighters, with Fiat's design team, led by Giuseppe Gabrelli, producing a design to meet this requirement, designated G.222, powered by two Rolls-Royce Dart
turboprop
engines and with six to eight Rolls-Royce RB162
lift engines to give VTOL capability. Although none of the submissions resulted in a production contract, the Italian Air Force
, felt that the Fiat Aviazione
proposal was worthy of development and ordered two prototypes plus a ground-test airframe in 1968. These aircraft were slightly simplified from the original proposal, omitting the lift engines and substituting a pair of General Electric T64
s for the Darts. The first prototype flew on 18 July 1970, and the Air Force began evaluating the two prototypes at the end of December 1971. Testing proved successful, and a contract for 44 aircraft was issued to Aeritalia
(of which Fiat Aviazione had since become a part), the first aircraft entering service in April 1978.
In 1977, Libya
tried to buy 20 G.222s, but the U.S. Government, who had imposed an embargo on the supply of military equipment to Libya, vetoed the sale of T-64 engines. To get around this restriction, Aeritalia developed a version of the G.222 powered by the Rolls-Royce Tyne
engine, and with other US supplied equipment replaced by European equivalents to avoid boycotts, the more powerful Tyne engine giving better "hot and high" performance. An order of 20 Tyne powered aircraft for Libya followed.
In 1990, the United States Air Force
selected the G.222 as the basis of a "Rapid-Response Intra-Theater Airlifter" (RRITA). Designated as the C-27A Spartan, ten G.222s were purchased and underwent avionics upgrades by Chrysler Aerospace
. These aircraft were stationed at Howard AFB, Panama
, but were withdrawn from service in 1999.
engines, and a rear loading ramp. The cargo deck is sized to accommodate standard 463L pallets, has a door in the floor for airdrop
ping, a built-in oxygen delivery system for medevac
operations, and platforms at the side doors for paratroop deployment.
The G.222 is one of the few cargo planes capable of flying loops and other maneuvers such as flying at about 80-90 kts (with the cargo door in the back open) and short track landing (takes only about 300 m to stop the plane after touching the ground when empty).
(Argentine Army) in the 1982 Falklands War
. The aircraft has been widely engaged in all peace keeping/enforcing missions carried out by Italian armed forces between 1980 and 2005.
On 3 September 1992 one Italian Air Force
(Aeronautica Militare Italiana) G.222 operating for a United Nations relief mission, was shot down when approaching Sarajevo airfield. The crash site was located 18 miles (29 km) away from the airfield; the NATO rescue mission aborted when the 2 USMC CH-53 helicopters were fired upon with small arms. The cause of the crash was determined to be a surface to air missile, but it was not clear who shot it. Everyone on board - the four Italian crew members and four French passengers - died in the crash.
G.222TCM : Initial designation, two prototypes for the Italian Air Force
G.222A : Standard transport version for the Italian Air Force
G.222RM : (Radiomisura - "radio measurements")- radio/radar calibration aircraft
G.222SAA : (Sistema Aeronautico Antincendio - "aeronautical fire-fighting system") - fire-fighter equipped for dumping water or fire retardant chemicals. Four built for Italian Air Force
G.222T : Version powered by the Rolls-Royce Tyne
for the Libyan Air Force
. Sometimes designated G.222L
G.222VS : (Versione Speciale - "special version") ECM
version - two built for Italian Air Force. Sometimes designated G.222GE.
C-27A Spartan : Ten G.222s purchased for the United States Air Force
.
C-27J Spartan :
Fiat Aviazione
Fiat Aviazione was an Italian aircraft manufacturer, at one time part of the Fiat group, focused mainly on military aviation. After the World War I, Fiat consolidated several Italian small aircraft manufacturers, like Pomilio and Ansaldo. Most famous were Fiat biplane fighter aircraft of the 1930s,...
, now Alenia Aeronautica
Alenia Aeronautica
Alenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica subsidiary, is a European aerospace company from Italy. Its subsidiaries include Alenia Aermacchi and Alenia Aeronavali...
) is a medium-sized STOL
STOL
STOL is an acronym for short take-off and landing, a term used to describe aircraft with very short runway requirements.-Definitions:There is no one accepted definition of STOL and many different definitions have been used by different authorities and nations at various times and for a myriad of...
military transport aircraft
Military transport aircraft
Military transport aircraft are typically fixed and rotary wing cargo aircraft which are used to deliver troops, weapons and other military equipment by a variety of methods to any area of military operations around the surface of the planet, usually outside of the commercial flight routes in...
. It was developed to meet a NATO specification, but Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
was initially the only NATO member to adopt the type. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
purchased a small number of G.222s, designating them the C-27A Spartan. The C-27J Spartan is a more modern development with the engines and systems of the C-130J Super Hercules
C-130J Super Hercules
The Lockheed Martin C-130J "Super" Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the venerable Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems. The Hercules family has the longest continuous production run of any...
.
Development
In 1962, NATO issued a specification for a V/STOLV/STOL
Vertical and/or short take-off and landing is a term used to describe aircraft that are able to take-off or land vertically or on short runways. Vertical takeoff and landing describes craft which do not require runways at all...
transport aircraft (NATO Basic Military Requirement 4), capable of supporting dispersed V/STOL fighters, with Fiat's design team, led by Giuseppe Gabrelli, producing a design to meet this requirement, designated G.222, powered by two Rolls-Royce Dart
Rolls-Royce Dart
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9-External links:*...
turboprop
Turboprop
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
engines and with six to eight Rolls-Royce RB162
Rolls-Royce RB162
|-See also:-Bibliography:*Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9*Swanborough, Gordon. Air Enthusiast, Volume One. London: Pilot Press, 1971. ISBN 0-385-08171-5....
lift engines to give VTOL capability. Although none of the submissions resulted in a production contract, the Italian Air Force
Italian Air Force
The Italian Air Force has gone under different names in different periods:*Regia Aeronautica , from 1923 to June 1946*Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, the air force of Italian Social Republic during World War II...
, felt that the Fiat Aviazione
Fiat Aviazione
Fiat Aviazione was an Italian aircraft manufacturer, at one time part of the Fiat group, focused mainly on military aviation. After the World War I, Fiat consolidated several Italian small aircraft manufacturers, like Pomilio and Ansaldo. Most famous were Fiat biplane fighter aircraft of the 1930s,...
proposal was worthy of development and ordered two prototypes plus a ground-test airframe in 1968. These aircraft were slightly simplified from the original proposal, omitting the lift engines and substituting a pair of General Electric T64
General Electric T64
-External links:* *...
s for the Darts. The first prototype flew on 18 July 1970, and the Air Force began evaluating the two prototypes at the end of December 1971. Testing proved successful, and a contract for 44 aircraft was issued to Aeritalia
Aeritalia
Aeritalia was an aerospace engineering corporation based in Italy, originally Fiat Aviazione before merging with Aerfer, and now part of Alenia Aeronautica....
(of which Fiat Aviazione had since become a part), the first aircraft entering service in April 1978.
In 1977, Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
tried to buy 20 G.222s, but the U.S. Government, who had imposed an embargo on the supply of military equipment to Libya, vetoed the sale of T-64 engines. To get around this restriction, Aeritalia developed a version of the G.222 powered by the Rolls-Royce Tyne
Rolls-Royce Tyne
|-See also:...
engine, and with other US supplied equipment replaced by European equivalents to avoid boycotts, the more powerful Tyne engine giving better "hot and high" performance. An order of 20 Tyne powered aircraft for Libya followed.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
selected the G.222 as the basis of a "Rapid-Response Intra-Theater Airlifter" (RRITA). Designated as the C-27A Spartan, ten G.222s were purchased and underwent avionics upgrades by Chrysler Aerospace
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
. These aircraft were stationed at Howard AFB, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, but were withdrawn from service in 1999.
Design
The G.222 is of typical configuration for aircraft of its type, with high-mounted wings, twin turbopropTurboprop
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
engines, and a rear loading ramp. The cargo deck is sized to accommodate standard 463L pallets, has a door in the floor for airdrop
Airdrop
An airdrop is a type of airlift, developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible troops, who themselves may have been airborne forces. In some cases, it is used to refer to the airborne assault itself. Early airdrops were conducted by dropping or pushing padded bundles from...
ping, a built-in oxygen delivery system for medevac
MEDEVAC
Medical evacuation, often termed Medevac or Medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to the wounded being evacuated from the battlefield or to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of an accident to receiving medical facilities using...
operations, and platforms at the side doors for paratroop deployment.
The G.222 is one of the few cargo planes capable of flying loops and other maneuvers such as flying at about 80-90 kts (with the cargo door in the back open) and short track landing (takes only about 300 m to stop the plane after touching the ground when empty).
Operational history
The G.222 was used in combat operations for the first time by the Ejército ArgentinoArgentine Army
The Argentine Army is the land armed force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of the country.- History :...
(Argentine Army) in the 1982 Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
. The aircraft has been widely engaged in all peace keeping/enforcing missions carried out by Italian armed forces between 1980 and 2005.
On 3 September 1992 one Italian Air Force
Italian Air Force
The Italian Air Force has gone under different names in different periods:*Regia Aeronautica , from 1923 to June 1946*Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, the air force of Italian Social Republic during World War II...
(Aeronautica Militare Italiana) G.222 operating for a United Nations relief mission, was shot down when approaching Sarajevo airfield. The crash site was located 18 miles (29 km) away from the airfield; the NATO rescue mission aborted when the 2 USMC CH-53 helicopters were fired upon with small arms. The cause of the crash was determined to be a surface to air missile, but it was not clear who shot it. Everyone on board - the four Italian crew members and four French passengers - died in the crash.
Variants
G.222A : Standard transport version for the Italian Air Force
G.222RM : (Radiomisura - "radio measurements")- radio/radar calibration aircraft
G.222SAA : (Sistema Aeronautico Antincendio - "aeronautical fire-fighting system") - fire-fighter equipped for dumping water or fire retardant chemicals. Four built for Italian Air Force
G.222T : Version powered by the Rolls-Royce Tyne
Rolls-Royce Tyne
|-See also:...
for the Libyan Air Force
Libyan Air Force
The Libyan Air Force is the branch of the Libyan Armed Forces responsible for aerial warfare. In 2010, before the 2011 Libyan civil war, the Libyan Air Force personnel strength was estimated at 18,000, with an inventory of 374 combat capable aircraft operating from 13 military airbases in...
. Sometimes designated G.222L
G.222VS : (Versione Speciale - "special version") ECM
Electronic countermeasures
An electronic countermeasure is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar or other detection systems, like infrared or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting information to an enemy...
version - two built for Italian Air Force. Sometimes designated G.222GE.
C-27A Spartan : Ten G.222s purchased for the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
.
C-27J Spartan :
Operators
- Afghan National Army Air Force - 20 former Italian Air Force aircraft to be upgraded by Alenia and provided to the Afghan Air Force by the US. Deliveries began in 2009. Six C-27As in service as of September 2010.
- Argentine Army AviationArgentine Army AviationThe Argentine Army Aviation is the army aviation branch of the Argentine Army...
. 3 aircraft.
- DubaiDubaiDubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
- 1 aircraft.
- Italian Air ForceItalian Air ForceThe Italian Air Force has gone under different names in different periods:*Regia Aeronautica , from 1923 to June 1946*Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, the air force of Italian Social Republic during World War II...
- Operated a total of 52 aircraft: 42 G.222A/TCM, 4 G.222RM, 5 G.222SAA, and 1 G.222VS. Officially retired from Air Force inventory, but at least 1 RM and 1 VS aircraft still operational.
- Libyan Air ForceLibyan Air ForceThe Libyan Air Force is the branch of the Libyan Armed Forces responsible for aerial warfare. In 2010, before the 2011 Libyan civil war, the Libyan Air Force personnel strength was estimated at 18,000, with an inventory of 374 combat capable aircraft operating from 13 military airbases in...
- 20 aircraft.
- Nigerian Air ForceNigerian Air ForceThe Nigerian Air Force is the air arm of the Nigerian Armed Forces.It is one of the largest in West Africa, consisting of about 15,000 personnel and aircraft including 15 Chengdu F-7s, and 24 Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jets, armed helicopters, and military transport aircraft. However in recent years...
- 5 aircraft delivered during 1984-85. Alenia Aeronautica is currently updating this aircraft. 1 ex-Italian Air Force aircraft ordered in 2008.
- Somali Air CorpsSomali Air CorpsThe Somali Air Force is the air force of Somalia. The Somali Aeronautical Corps was the name of the Somali Air Force during the pre-independence period. After 1960, when Somalia gained independence, the name changed to the Somali Air Force...
- 2 aircraft delivered, 4 ordered.
- Royal Thai Air ForceRoyal Thai Air ForceThe Royal Thai Air Force or RTAF is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. Since its establishment in 1913, as one of the earliest air forces of Asia, the Royal Thai Air Force had engaged in many major and minor battles. During the Vietnam war era, the air force has been developed with USAF-aid...
- 6 aircraft.
- Air Force - 5 aircraft.
- Air Force - 2 aircraft.
- United States Air ForceUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
- Operated 10 C-27A (1990–99) - US Department of State - 4 C-27A (ex-USAF) based out of Patrick AFB, Florida, in support of counter-narcotics activities in South America, primarily Colombia transporting personnel and supplies.
- United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
- Operated 10 G.222VS (1995-2002)