Equipped with the MAFFS II system, Leonardo’s C-27J Spartan NG emerges as a versatile multi-mission platform which can deliver precision water/fire retardant drops while complementing the trusted Canadair CL-415.
In 2022, Leonardo unveiled for the first time a new firefighting configuration for its C-27J Spartan Next Generation cargo aircraft. This configuration, based on the second generation, roll-on/roll-off Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS II), in now inching closer to the delivery to the first operators as Leonardo is refining the final version.
In the last few years, we saw an increase in the number of fires around the world. Their growing complexities are forcing individual countries to deal with the challenge in an integrated manner, increasing the firefighting capabilities while taking their specific needs into account.
In the increasingly challenging fight against forest fires, #Leonardo offers an innovative, high-tech solution with the #C27J Next Generation #FireFighter, a twin-engine turboprop #aircraft intended to work alongside helicopters and amphibious “scooper” aircraft that take water… pic.twitter.com/6j66PciEJM
— Leonardo Aircraft (@LDO_Aircraft) November 15, 2024
Those fires often spread on large areas and last many days, requesting a lot of resources to deal with them effectively. A recent notable example of these are the still active Los Angeles fires, which left the metropolitan area devastated, burning 57,500 acres destroying or damaging more than 16,000 structures. At least 28 people lost their lives and more than 200,000 were evacuated.
One of the resources to combat these fires, which is being increasingly employed in those situations, is the aerial firefighting aircraft. These aircraft are essential to slow down the advance of the fire front and allow the firefighters on the ground to contain and extinguish the fire.
We recently had a chance to interview Leonardo’s officials to get to know better the “C-27J Fire Fighter,” the firefighting configuration of the tactical transport aircraft currently in development. During our interview we talked about a range of topics, including the status of the development, the testing, capabilities, the road to the fielding and the intended use.
From Cargo to Firefighting: the MAFFS kit
The conversion of cargo aircraft to firefighting aircraft in the event of fires is not a novelty. In fact, the MAFFS kit was first developed in the 1970s to equip U.S. Air Force’s C-130s so they could help civilian agencies to fight fires, should they need additional assets.
A newer variant, the MAFFS II, became operational in the 2000s. The MAFFS II discharges the water or the retardant through a special plug in the paratroop drop door on the side of the aircraft, rather than requiring the cargo ramp door to be opened like on the original MAFFS.
Leonardo is now working on further developing the firefighting capabilities of the aircraft and the subsequent military and civilian certifications. In fact, there are two options being looked at based on the current market’s interest, an add-on kit for the military operators of the C-27J and a civilian variant for civil protection and contractors specializing in firefighting services.
Throughout the year, Leonardo developed its demonstrator which is about 90-95% corresponding to the final variant. The main difference is the tank, which on the demonstrator for the risk reduction phase can load 5,500 liters of liquid (either water or fire retardant), while on the final variant, based on the C-27J NG, the load will be increased to 7,500 liters.
The risk reduction phase involved the demonstration of the interaction between the aircraft and the firefighting kit during maneuvers. Specifically, one of the aspects that needed attention was the sloshing of the liquid inside the tank, especially important if the aircraft doesn’t expend the entire load in just one pass, as the movement of the liquid could affect the center of gravity of the aircraft and its stability.
Leonardo says the testing found the maneuver’s requirements satisfied with roll angles up to 25° and partial water drop with a residual of 10% inside the tank. The testing also allowed for a complete verification of the human-machine interface and the safety margins for the operations.
Proving the Firefighting Spartan
After completing the risk reduction testing, Leonardo then performed two rounds of demonstrations for possible clients. The first round, in May 2024, included both Italian military and civilian agencies, while the second one, in November, included foreign military and civilian operators. One of these is Slovenia, which is set to become the first operator of the new kit.
The demos were performed on ranges of the Italian Navy, near Naval Air Station Grottaglie. Leonardo officials noted that, during the demos, the test area was subject to strong winds and this allowed to better understand how to optimize tactics to maximize the effect of the attacks on the fire.
During the first demo, the area was also prepared with innovative sensors which allowed to calculate in real time the coverage achieved by the C-27 when dropping the liquid, further refining the tactics. These were not available during the second demo, however the company said they nevertheless collected enough data to confirm the design of the final tank.
Moving Towards the Operational Capability
The final 7,500 liters tank is planned for production in Q3 2025. This will allow to complete the final configuration of the aircraft by Q4 2025 and achieve the military certification. The first kit will be delivered to Slovenia, which, as mentioned, will become the first operator of the fire-fighting C-27J.
In parallel, Leonardo is also working on the civilian side of the program. The aircraft is expected to be certified in the restricted category in 2026, and will see the C-27J certified as multi-mission platform also in the civilian sector, allowing operators to perform different tasks with the same aircraft. Leonardo defined this as a particularly interesting capability, and added it already attracted interest on the market.
In fact, the package which is being proposed to clients is a multi-mission aircraft, able to perform not only fire-fighting missions, but also cargo and MEDEVAC. This allows the maximum return on investment, an aspect which is particularly important for civilian operators, which can now maximize their investment by diversifying the tasks they can accomplish with the Spartan.
The C-27J as Complement to Amphibious Firefighting Aircraft
In the last few years, it has been noted that, statistically, the number of large fires is increasing. Active fire-fighting activities like water drops are the last step in the fight against fire, as it should always be preceded by prevention. However, when the need arises, firefighters on the ground need the maximum number of assets to provide support.
This, in turn, increases the need for fire-fighting assets. An aircraft like the C-27J is the only option available in areas with limited access to water bodies, such as the Middle East and the United States. In other areas, such as Italy, the abundance of water bodies is an advantage which is exploited by amphibious aircraft like the Canadair CL-415.
The Spartan is clearly a different aircraft compared to the Canadair, however the two can still work together and complement each other. In fact, Leonardo sees the fire-fighting C-27J as a complementary solution which can increase the efficiency of air attacks against fire.
The reason is that, contrary to the CL-415, the C-27 can also employ fire retardant, which is a significant advantage. In fact, the C-27 would still be able to work when the CL-415 can’t land on a water body to refill because of adverse weather, while in normal cases they could work side-by-side to slow-down the fire front with water and fire retardant drops.
The complementarity of the C-27J and CL-415 is an aspect which Leonardo focused on since the beginning. In fact, the company already said in 2022 the C-27 firefighting configuration is not intended to completely replace aircraft like the Canadair CL-415. Instead, it is designed so both types of aircraft can be used in a complementary way to optimize firefighting effectiveness even in complex environmental or morphological conditions.
Leonardo also noted another significant advantage, the night flight capabilities of the Spartan. While not all countries allow fire-fighting aircraft to flight at night, the ones that do allow it could use the C-27J to support the firefighters on the ground at night until the other aircraft are allowed to intervene again.
Transforming the Spartan into a Firefighting Aircraft
The integration of the MAFFS II kit on the aircraft was straightforward, as it is based on a NATO standard pallet and uses a dedicated loading tray and required little adaptation. The aircraft can notoriously modify the height of its landing gear to better adapt to characteristics of the material to be loaded, further simplifying the loading of the system.
The MAFFS II kit includes, in addition to the main pallet, a plug and a nozzle for the release of the liquid, which is positioned with a small trolley at the paratroopers’ door. Regarding the control system, there is an electric interface linked to a dedicated panel in the cockpit. This panel allows the crew to power and arm the system, as well as releasing the liquid and showing warnings.
Leonardo says that during testing it was verified that the aircraft can be configured for the firefighting mission in 90 minutes. Additionally, the current 5,500 liters tank and the compressed air tank can be refilled in six minutes, which are increased to eight minutes for the final 7,500 liters tank. A single compressed air refill allows the C-27 to perform three water drops, with the goal being to perform three water drops at a distance of 25 nautical miles from the airport in an hour.
The pilots can use the capabilities already built in the Flight Management System for the airdrops to compensate for the wind during a water drop, ensuring that they can always hit the intended target. The test pilots were very satisfied by the performance of the firefighting configuration, said Leonardo, and further testing is expected to be later performed with operational firefighting pilots.
