DOPPELADLER.COM

• http://www.difesa.it/Amministrazionetra ... 112020.pdf

Alenia Aermacchi (a Finmeccanica Company) and the Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) signed today, during the Dubai Airshow 2013, an agreement to provide development, testing, certification, industrialization and logistic support of the Praetorian. The Praetorian, a specialized version of the MC-27J, will support missions for the Italian Special Forces, Comando Operativo Forze Speciali (COFS).

The Praetorian project will consist of two phases. During Phase One, Alenia Aermacchi will develop and deliver a prototype of the Praetorian to the Italian Air Force in spring 2014, immediately followed by testing in an operational scenario. Phase Two will encompass the industrialization of the Praetorian configuration and related logistic support.

The Italian Air Force plan to transform three C-27J’s, currently in service, into the Praetorian configuration during 2016 and will include mission systems, C3ISR equipment and palletized support / fire systems. An additional three aircraft will also have the same mission package capabilities.

Alenia Aermacchi, in partnership with US based ATK, will develop the Praetorian mission and air- to-ground support systems. Selex ES, a Finmeccanica Company, will partner with Alenia Aermacchi for the communication and data link equipment.

• Alenia C-27J Gunship
  
  http://www.doppeladler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2503

II.1.4) Short description of the contract or purchase(s):

sviluppo di un sistema missione denominato Praetorian in configurazione iniziale Initial Operational Capability (IOC) e successiva integrazione sul velivolo C-27J M.M. 62220 (LUPO 83).

II.2.1) Total final value of contract(s):

Value: 7 599 131,00 EUR
Excluding VAT

V.1) Date of contract award decision:

25.3.2021

V.3) Name and address of economic operator in favour of whom the contract award decision has been taken

Official name: Leonardo SpA
Town: Roma
Country: Italy

The Italian Ministry of Defence (MoD) plans to fund new multi-year programmes for the development of three Leonardo MC-27J Praetorian special operations aircraft and the acquisition of two new Boeing KC-767 strategic transport/tanker aircraft for the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana: AMI).

The DPP funds EUR80 million (USD94.3 million) between 2021 and 2026 for the MC-27J Praetorian development programme and mentions a requirement for three aircraft in the special operations configuration. However, the overall budget requirement amounts to EUR99 million, leaving EUR19 million unfunded.

The MC-27J Praetorian programme was launched in the early 2010s to study and eventually develop a special forces version of the AMI's C-27J tactical aircraft for commando and weaponised missions.

The programme appeared to have stalled in the mid-2010s as no progress was reported until November 2020, when, according to official documents, the Italian Air Force Staff gave a mandate to the Directorate for Air Armaments and Airworthiness (DAAA) to proceed with the refinement of the technical-administrative process aimed at restarting the development (and subsequent procurement) of a ‘Praetorian' mission system in Initial Operational Capability (IOC) configuration to be integrated on a C-27J transport aircraft.

The Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana: AMI) has confirmed to Janes that it will deploy the Leonardo MC-27J Praetorian special operations aircraft by 2030.

Speaking to Janes on 27 January, a spokesperson of the press office of the AMI said that the development and serialisation of the Praetorian roll-on/roll-off palletised mission system is scheduled to be completed by 2030.

The AMI's 12 C-27J tactical transport aircraft will continue to perform their passenger/cargo role in addition to new special operations roles (including tactical control; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; and communication, command, and control). As a result the service will not procure additional C-27J tactical transport aircraft, the spokesperson said.

In early December 2021, the Italian Defence Staff pointed out during a parliamentary session of its defence committee that at least four Praetorian systems will be developed during three phases, between 2021 and 2030.

The first phase consists of the development and integration of one Leonardo Airborne Tactical Observation Surveillance System (ATOS) on a modified MC-27J Praetorian prototype to achieve an initial operational capability (IOC) configuration, with limited operational capabilities. Phase 2 will proceed with the integration of the Praetorian system with a new avionics configuration – which will become the standard on the whole C-27J fleet – along with the development of the Praetorian's final operational capability configuration for three more aircraft. Phase three will complete the serialisation of the remaining two aircraft. All three phases include logistics support for the MC-27J Praetorian aircraft and mission system.