Slovenia receives second and final Spartan airlifter

Slovenia now operates a pair of Leonardo C-27J Spartan airlifters, with the second aircraft being handed over on 17 December. (Slovenian Ministry of Defence)

Slovenia has received a second Leonardo C-27J Spartan transport aircraft, the country's Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 17 December.

Named after Edvard Rusjan, an early Slovene pioneer of aviation, the second of the two twin-turboprop transport aircraft was delivered to Cerklje ob Krki Air Base a year after the first aircraft arrived at the same location in December 2023. Both aircraft are to be operated by the Slovenian 15th Aviation Wing (15th Polk Vojaskega Letalstva: 15th PVL) component of the joint Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF).

Slovenia acquired its second Spartan on 19 September 2023, signing an amendment to the original November 2021 procurement contract for a single airlifter. According to the announcement, the EUR48.85 million (USD52.05 million at the time) amendment saw the second airlifter delivered in the same configuration as the first. The total cost of the Spartan procurement is EUR128.91 million, excluding value-added tax (VAT).

The standard Spartan has an 11 tonne payload and a 3,070 n mile (5,685 km, 3,532 mile) ferry range. Leonardo now offers the C-27J Next-Generation (NG), which includes new cockpit displays, a weather radar, modern navigation, and communications equipment, as well as “advanced aerodynamic features”, as described by the company.

For more information on the Slovenian Armed Forces, please see Slovenia – Air Force.