The first and only C-27J Spartan tactical transport currently on order for the Slovenian Air Force was spotted in its operational colours for the first time as it carried out a test flight from Leonardo’s production and flight test facility at Turin-Caselle Airport in northern Italy on January 12.
While the aircraft – serial L2-01 (c/n 204), which was still wearing the Italian experimental test registration CSX62330 – had completed its maiden flight in its initial yellow primer base coating on February 16, 2022, this latest sortie marked the first time the aircraft had graced the skies wearing the operational livery of the Slovenian Air Force. This C-27J was first noted as having received its definitive grey livery in November, last year. Notably, the aircraft has also been named ‘Martin Krpan’, a fictional Slovenian hero, who was born from the pen of Fran Levstik – an important author in the history of Slovenian literature.
Unlike the majority of other Spartans that have been produced and delivered over the years, this Slovenian example is unique in that it is one of the first to be delivered from the C-27J Next Generation (NG) class of the tactical transport family. An enhanced variant of the Spartan, the C-27J NG features …
