The Saudi Arabian power large Aramco signed an settlement to amass two C-27J Spartan plane on the Paris Air Present.
On June 16, 2025, Aramco, the Saudi Arabian power large, formally signed an settlement to amass two C-27J Spartan plane throughout this 12 months’s Paris Air Present. These versatile plane will likely be specifically configured for multi-mission roles, underscoring Aramco’s place because the twentieth world buyer and notably the primary civilian operator of the Spartan platform.
The 2 plane will likely be operated by Mukamalah Aviation Firm, an entirely owned subsidiary of Aramco that operates beneath the model title “Aloula Aviation.” Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2027.
These C-27J Spartans will serve a wide range of important capabilities together with firefighting, cargo transport, oil spill response, and medical evacuation missions. This acquisition marks a number of vital milestones: not solely are these the primary C-27J plane to be operated in a civilian capability, however they may even be the primary of their variety owned by an operator within the Center East.
Mukamalah Aviation Firm
Mukamalah Aviation Firm is the primary civilian aviation firm in Saudi Arabia. Established in 1934, its origins hint again to Aramco’s introduction of the primary plane to help oil exploration throughout the Kingdom’s huge territories.
As we speak the corporate operates a various fleet of 55 plane, finishing up a variety of missions together with passengers and cargo, oil subject logistics, and emergency response. Along with working its fleet, Mukamalah manages all facets of upkeep, restore and overhaul. The corporate can be liable for the maintenance of important aviation infrastructures.
Moreover, the corporate is a licensed service centre for Leonardo’s AW109 and AW139 helicopters. Actually, Mukamalah is likely one of the largest operators of Leonardo’s helicopters within the Center East and has been working AW139s since 2008 and AW109 since 2006, with a complete fleet of 27 helicopters.
The C-27J Subsequent Era
The C-27J Subsequent Era is an upgraded model of the C-27J Spartan that guarantees to be a legitimate “weapon” in aerial firefighting operations. Designed with STOL (Brief Take-Off and Touchdown) capabilities and unmatched maneuverability in its class, the Spartan has a confirmed functionality, already examined throughout its operational life even in fight eventualities.
The brand new functionality of the C-27J Subsequent Era “Fireplace Fighter” is launched because of a Roll-On/Roll-Off palletized Modular Aerial Fireplace Preventing System (MAFFS). This resolution permits the plane to transition from the traditional transport configuration to the firefighting configuration in simply 90 minutes.
This modular strategy ensures that the plane may be employed for various missions, together with medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) and cargo transport. Such flexibility makes it a lovely choice for operators who want a cheap, multi-purpose plane reasonably than a single-function device such because the overwhelming majority of the belongings employed in firefighting operations.
This “multi-role” strategy contrasts sharply with devoted firefighter plane, which frequently sit idle exterior wildfire seasons. The C-27J’s dual-use functionality not solely maximizes its operational utility but in addition provides financial benefits for civilian operators in search of to optimize their fleets.
Amphibious plane such because the Bombardier CL-415 are at present the spine of aerial wildfire suppression operations, because of their potential to carry out the so-called “water scooping” maneuver to quickly refill their inside tanks immediately from close by sources of water like lakes, rivers or seas. Whereas these airplanes may be thought-about efficient in areas with loads of water sources, they will face notable limitations in different eventualities the place the necessity of close by water sources makes them unusable, to allow them to be hardly employed in arid areas the place water is scarce or unavailable.
Saudi Arabia represents one among such eventualities, the place the C-27J Spartan, outfitted with the MAFFS and carrying water or retardant internally, eliminates the dependency on exterior water sources, making it an efficient “weapon” in dry, resource-limited environments.
Leonardo is increasing the worldwide presence of its C-27J, which has already logged 270,000 flight hours worldwide, reaching a complete variety of 95 models ordered.
The Modular Aerial Fireplace Preventing II System (MAFFS)
The Modular Aerial Fireplace Preventing System (MAFFS) is the core of the C-27J’s firefighting capabilities. Initially developed for transport plane just like the C-130 Hercules, the MAFFS system has developed over time to enhance the general capabilities. The newest model of the MAFFS, known as MAFFS II, brings a number of key enhancements that make it an much more highly effective device within the struggle towards wildfires.
Particularly, the MAFFS II system put in on the C-27J has the flexibility to hold as much as 7,500 liters of water or hearth retardant. A single compressed air refill permits the C-27 to carry out three water drops, with the purpose being to carry out three water drops at a distance of 25 nautical miles from the airport in an hour. This might permit to hold a major quantity of retardant and drop it on burning wildlife zones shortly.
The system is developed to cut back turnaround occasions between drops to lower than 10 minutes, guaranteeing that the plane could make fast successive drops to suppress wildfires extra effectively. The pilots can use the capabilities already constructed within the Flight Administration System for the airdrops to compensate for the wind throughout a water drop, guaranteeing that they will all the time hit the supposed goal.
By way of supply, the system employs a specialised supply nozzle put in within the left paratroopers’ door of the plane. This design ensures that the retardant is launched in a managed method, permitting for exact and efficient suppression.
You possibly can learn extra in regards to the Leonardo C-27J Firefighter in our in-depth report printed in January 2025.
