Some people may find Friday the 13th to be an unlucky date. For the people of Mansfield, Ohio, it could be their luckiest one. It was on Friday August 13th that the 179th Airlift Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard accepted the first of four new C-27J Spartan aircraft that the unit is transitioning to from the C-130 Hercules aircraft they have been flying since 1976. This move is a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Act of 2005. The Alenia built C-27J Spartan is a medium sized military transport aircraft ordered as the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) for use by all United States military.
The C-27J is an advanced version of Alenia Aeronautica's G.222, using the engines and systems from the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. An estimated crowd of around 800 friends, family, local legislative and high ranking air guard officials attended the ceremony. The ceremony closed with the christening of the first plane as "The Spirit of Mansfield". By February 2011, unit commander Colonel Gary McCue states the 179th should have four of the C-27J Spartans on base. U.S. Senator from Ohio Sherrod Brown promises to relentlessly pursue having Mansfield designated as a national training base for the new aircraft. This promises to provide Ohio Area Milcom listeners more monitoring opportunities in the years to come.
The C-27J is an advanced version of Alenia Aeronautica's G.222, using the engines and systems from the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. An estimated crowd of around 800 friends, family, local legislative and high ranking air guard officials attended the ceremony. The ceremony closed with the christening of the first plane as "The Spirit of Mansfield". By February 2011, unit commander Colonel Gary McCue states the 179th should have four of the C-27J Spartans on base. U.S. Senator from Ohio Sherrod Brown promises to relentlessly pursue having Mansfield designated as a national training base for the new aircraft. This promises to provide Ohio Area Milcom listeners more monitoring opportunities in the years to come.
