First flight for Afghanistan's refurbished G222

Alenia Aeronautica has conducted the first flight of a refurbished G222 destined for service with the Afghan military, and says the tactical transport will soon undergo detailed testing.The first of 18 ex-Italian air force G222s under contract for delivery to Afghanistan between next month and 2011, the aircraft flew from Alenia's Capodichino facility near Naples, and will soon be flown to its Caselle plant near Turin."The G222's modernised communication systems will be tested and validated" at the site, the company says.Alenia, which rolled out its first refurbished G222 early last month, says a total of nine aircraft are now in the process of being remanufactured for the Afghan National Army Air Corps.

Posted in: Afghanistan,Fighting Al Qaeda and Taliban,transport aircraft