A Royal Australian Air Force 35 Squadron C-27J Spartan has visited RAAF Base Townsville to conduct loading trials and training with Australian Army personnel and an Army CH-47D Chinook helicopter.
“Engineers and aircrew from Air Movements Training and Development Unit (AMTDU) oversaw the trials, which involved the loading of Army personnel from Townsville’s 3rd Brigade in different configurations,” Defence said of the trials, which ran over November 10-14.
“Air Force air movements personnel also conducted load transfer trials between a Spartan and a CH-47 Chinook helicopter from Army’s 5th Aviation Regiment.”
The first two of 10 C-27Js on order for the RAAF are now in service with 35SQN based at RAAF Richmond near Sydney. A third C-27J delivered to the RAAF is being used for aircrew and maintenance personnel training with prime contractor L-3 Communications at Waco, Texas.
The RAAF’s introduction into service of the C-27J is profiled in the December issue of Australian Aviation.
