First Refurbished G.222 Ready for Afghan Air Force

Alenia Aeronautica has rolled out in Naples the first of 18 G.222 aircraft it is refurbishing for entry into service with the Afghan Air Force, the company said July 6.The aircraft, which were originally flown by the Italian Air Force, were purchased from Alenia in September by the U.S. Air Force, which will hand them over to Afghanistan after Alenia has modernized the aircraft with new systems and avionics.As Italy's new C-27J tactical transport enters service with the Italian Air Force, it has been handing its older G.222s back to Alenia Aeronautica, which built them.The U.S. Air Force contract, signed with Alenia North America, is worth $287 million, Alenia said. The first flight of the upgraded G.222 aircraft is expected by the end of July and the delivery of the aircraft will begin in September. Two of the aircraft, which were built between 1977 and 1985, will be configured for VIP transport.The turbo prop G.222 remained in service with the Italian Air Force until 2005. It was also used by the U.S. Air Force in the 1990s under the name C-27A. Alenia said the aircraft was still in service with the Nigerian Air Force, the Royal Thai Air Force, the Argentine Army, the U.S. State Department and the Italian Air Force in electronic warfare version.

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