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Aeritalia G.222
The Aeritalia G.222 (formerly Fiat Aviazione, later Alenia Aeronautica) is a medium-sized STOL military transport aircraft.
It was developed to meet a NATO Basic Military Requirement 4; accordingly, it was originally designed with lift engines for a V/STOL capability, but these were never fitted to production aircraft. No wider NATO production contact were emerged, but Italy was keen to support its homegrown transport aircraft and issued an order for it in a more conventional configuration. Following its introduction to Italian Air Force service in April 1978, the type soon proved itself to be capable for conducting operations from compact and austere airstrips, particularly humanitarian missions.
Various export customers emerged for the type during the 1980s and 1990s. Libyan efforts to purchase 20 G.222s were initially vetoed by United States; Libya later procured a version of the aircraft without US-made equipment present instead. The United States purchased 10 G.222s in the 1990s, designating the type C-27A Spartan. During the 2000s, as the Italian Air Force withdrew their original G.222s due to their advancing age, these aircraft were commonly refurbished and subsequently sold onto other nations; via this approach, several G.222s were dispatched to Afghanistan during the War in Afghanistan.
A modernised variant, the Alenia C-27J Spartan, has been developed during the early 21st century. While it retains many aspects of the original aircraft, the C-27J adopts the same engines and many of the systems used on the larger Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. Several G.222 operators, including the Italian Air Force, have opted to retire their fleets in favour of new-built C-27Js.
In 1962, NATO issued a specification for a V/STOL transport aircraft (NATO Basic Military Requirement 4), capable of supporting dispersed V/STOL fighters. Fiat's design team, led by Giuseppe Gabrielli, produced a design to meet this requirement, designated G.222; it was to be powered by two Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines and with six to eight Rolls-Royce RB162 lift engines to give VTOL capability. According to Aeritalia, the G.222 designation is derived from the first letter of the aircraft's chief designer; the first '2' referring to the twin-engine arrangement, and the final '22' referring to the revised NATO Basic Military Requirement 22 to which it had been submitted.
None of the submissions resulted in a production contract; however the Italian Air Force (AMI), who was at the time seeking a replacement for the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar, felt that the Fiat Aviazione proposal had merit, and placed an order for two prototypes and a ground-test airframe in 1968. The G.222 was substantially redeveloped from the NATO submission, the V/STOL lift engines having been omitted completely and the conventional Dart engines replaced by a pair of General Electric T64s; the twin-boom tail featured on the V/STOL concept was also eliminated and replaced by a more conventional single tail configuration; subsequently the new aircraft had no V/STOL capability but retained considerable short take-off/landing (STOL) performance.
On 18 July 1970, the first prototype performed the aircraft's maiden flight with test pilot Vittorio Sanseverino at the controls. By late April 1971, the prototype had reportedly conducted a total of 22 flights and accumulated 50 hours of flight time, during which its performance was claimed to have been highly close to predictions. In December 1971, the Italian Air Force, who had placed a provisional order for the developing type, formally began evaluating the G.222 and the performance of the two prototypes then in service. Following a successful testing period, the AMI contract for 44 aircraft was issued to Aeritalia (of which Fiat Aviazione had since become a part). In December 1975, the first production aircraft conducted its first flight. In April 1978, this same aircraft formally entered service with the AMI. Following on from its introduction by the AMI, the G.222 was procured as a tactical transport aircraft by various international customers, including Argentina, Nigeria, Somalia, Venezuela and Thailand.
In December 1978, Aeritalia elected to transfer final assembly of the G.222 from Turin to Naples, at which point a total of 44 firm orders had been obtained for the type and one aircraft per month was being manufactured. Manufacturing of the G.222 was broken down into various companies; construction of the fuselage was performed at Naples, the center-section of the wing was produced by Piaggio, the wing panels were made by Macchi, the tail surfaces were built by SIAI-Marchetti, the engine nacelles by IAM, and the T64 engines were license-manufactured by Alfa Romeo and Fiat.
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Aeritalia G.222
The Aeritalia G.222 (formerly Fiat Aviazione, later Alenia Aeronautica) is a medium-sized STOL military transport aircraft.
It was developed to meet a NATO Basic Military Requirement 4; accordingly, it was originally designed with lift engines for a V/STOL capability, but these were never fitted to production aircraft. No wider NATO production contact were emerged, but Italy was keen to support its homegrown transport aircraft and issued an order for it in a more conventional configuration. Following its introduction to Italian Air Force service in April 1978, the type soon proved itself to be capable for conducting operations from compact and austere airstrips, particularly humanitarian missions.
Various export customers emerged for the type during the 1980s and 1990s. Libyan efforts to purchase 20 G.222s were initially vetoed by United States; Libya later procured a version of the aircraft without US-made equipment present instead. The United States purchased 10 G.222s in the 1990s, designating the type C-27A Spartan. During the 2000s, as the Italian Air Force withdrew their original G.222s due to their advancing age, these aircraft were commonly refurbished and subsequently sold onto other nations; via this approach, several G.222s were dispatched to Afghanistan during the War in Afghanistan.
A modernised variant, the Alenia C-27J Spartan, has been developed during the early 21st century. While it retains many aspects of the original aircraft, the C-27J adopts the same engines and many of the systems used on the larger Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. Several G.222 operators, including the Italian Air Force, have opted to retire their fleets in favour of new-built C-27Js.
In 1962, NATO issued a specification for a V/STOL transport aircraft (NATO Basic Military Requirement 4), capable of supporting dispersed V/STOL fighters. Fiat's design team, led by Giuseppe Gabrielli, produced a design to meet this requirement, designated G.222; it was to be powered by two Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines and with six to eight Rolls-Royce RB162 lift engines to give VTOL capability. According to Aeritalia, the G.222 designation is derived from the first letter of the aircraft's chief designer; the first '2' referring to the twin-engine arrangement, and the final '22' referring to the revised NATO Basic Military Requirement 22 to which it had been submitted.
None of the submissions resulted in a production contract; however the Italian Air Force (AMI), who was at the time seeking a replacement for the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar, felt that the Fiat Aviazione proposal had merit, and placed an order for two prototypes and a ground-test airframe in 1968. The G.222 was substantially redeveloped from the NATO submission, the V/STOL lift engines having been omitted completely and the conventional Dart engines replaced by a pair of General Electric T64s; the twin-boom tail featured on the V/STOL concept was also eliminated and replaced by a more conventional single tail configuration; subsequently the new aircraft had no V/STOL capability but retained considerable short take-off/landing (STOL) performance.
On 18 July 1970, the first prototype performed the aircraft's maiden flight with test pilot Vittorio Sanseverino at the controls. By late April 1971, the prototype had reportedly conducted a total of 22 flights and accumulated 50 hours of flight time, during which its performance was claimed to have been highly close to predictions. In December 1971, the Italian Air Force, who had placed a provisional order for the developing type, formally began evaluating the G.222 and the performance of the two prototypes then in service. Following a successful testing period, the AMI contract for 44 aircraft was issued to Aeritalia (of which Fiat Aviazione had since become a part). In December 1975, the first production aircraft conducted its first flight. In April 1978, this same aircraft formally entered service with the AMI. Following on from its introduction by the AMI, the G.222 was procured as a tactical transport aircraft by various international customers, including Argentina, Nigeria, Somalia, Venezuela and Thailand.
In December 1978, Aeritalia elected to transfer final assembly of the G.222 from Turin to Naples, at which point a total of 44 firm orders had been obtained for the type and one aircraft per month was being manufactured. Manufacturing of the G.222 was broken down into various companies; construction of the fuselage was performed at Naples, the center-section of the wing was produced by Piaggio, the wing panels were made by Macchi, the tail surfaces were built by SIAI-Marchetti, the engine nacelles by IAM, and the T64 engines were license-manufactured by Alfa Romeo and Fiat.