RAAF Spartan upgrade under test

Marco Rossi ROYAL AUSTRALIAN Air Force C-27J A34-004, callsign ‘ASY409’, takes off from Turin-Caselle Airport, Italy, on March 8. The Spartan arrived at Leonardo’s main facility on March 17 last year for upgrade and recently resumed flying. All ten RAAF C-27Js are receiving a Mode 5 identification friend or foe (IFF) upgrade and Automatic Dependent Surveillance- Broadcast (ADS-B) kit allowing them to operate unrestricted in international airspace. A34-004 is the first to undergo the modifications, while the remaining nine will