C-27J Spartan: Paratroops and Loads Airdrop Qualification

This paper covers the whole flight test activity performed to achieve the military certification, for paratroopers and loads airdrop, of the C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft. As an Alenia G.222 derivative, the main target of this project was to obtain a considerable improvement of the former aircraft capabilities also with the introduction of new devices e.g. CARP and tow-plate. Detailed information are given about flight test instrumentation, preliminary steps, safety and hazard analysis for the more demanding tests, as well as semi-empirical methods used during this activity. The testing was performed with the active co-operation of both the Italian Army -- Paratroopers Brigade, which provided a dedicated software for trajectories analysis, and the Italian Air Force. The whole campaign was carried out in three different phases for a total amount of more than 50 test flights, covering the airdrop of paratroopers including preliminary airflow evaluation and the use of a great number of dummies and loads by gravity, extraction and LAPE techniques. This presentation shows experiences and results achieved by the test team, focusing on the more uncommon tests such as external airflow measurements, maximum payload airdrop and LAPES operations. A comparison with the G.222, showing the relevant increase obtained in terms of operational capabilities, is also outlined in the paper.