First US Army C-27J begins upgrade in Italy

The first of seven US Army-operated C-27J Spartan tactical transports to undergo the C-27J 1.2+ avionics update departed Pope Army Airfield in North Carolina on February 19. The aircraft (10-27026, callsign ‘GECKO06’) is pictured arriving at Leonardo’s facility at Turin-Caselle Airport in northern Italy on February 24, after making stops in Keflavik, Iceland, and Stuttgart, Germany, along the way. In February 2023, the US Army announced it had awarded Leonardo the $92m contract to integrate the C-27J 1.2+ avionics update