Aeritalia G . 222 The Aeritalia G . 222 ( formerly Fiat Aviazione , later Alenia Aeronautica ) is a medium - sized STOL military transport aircraft . It was developed to meet a NATO specification , but Italy was initially the only NATO member to adopt the type . The United States purchased a small number of G . 222s , designating them the C - 27A Spartan . A modernised variant , the Alenia C - 27J Spartan , had been developed . While it retains many aspects of the original aircraft , the C - 27J adopts the same engines and many of the systems used on the larger Lockheed Martin C - 130J Super Hercules . Development . Origins . In 1962 , NATO issued a specification for a V / STOL transport aircraft ( NATO Basic Military Requirement 4 ) , capable of supporting dispersed V / STOL fighters . Fiat ' s design team , led by Giuseppe Gabrielli , produced a design to meet this requirement , designated G . 222 ; it was to be powered by two Rolls - Royce Dart turboprop engines and with six to eight Rolls - Royce RB162 lift engines to give VTOL capability . None of the submissions resulted in a production contract ; however the Italian Air Force ( AMI ) felt that the Fiat Aviazione proposal had merit , and placed an order for two prototypes and a ground - test airframe in 1968 . The G . 222 was substantially redeveloped from the NATO submission , the V / STOL lift engines having been omitted completely and the conventional Dart engines replaced by a pair of General Electric T64 s ; the twin - boom tail featured on the V / STOL concept was also eliminated and replaced by a more conventional single tail configuration ; subsequently the new aircraft had no V / STOL capability but was retained considerable short take - off / landing ( STOL ) performance . On 18 July 1970 , the first prototype took the aircraft ' s maiden flight with test pilot Vittorio Sanseverino at the controls ; the Italian Air Force began evaluating the two prototypes in December 1971 . Following successful testing , the AMI contract for 44 aircraft was issued to Aeritalia ( of which Fiat Aviazione had since become a part ) . The first production aircraft entered Italian service in April 1978 . Following its introduction by the AMI , the G . 222 was procured as a tactical transport aircraft by various international customers , including Argentina , Nigeria , Somalia , Venezuela and Thailand . Further development . In 1977 , Libya sought the purchase of 20 G . 222s , this was vetoed by the U . S . Government , who had imposed an embargo on military arms and equipment to Libya , which including the G . 222 ' s T64 engines . To get around this restriction , Aeritalia developed a version of the G . 222 powered by the Rolls - Royce Tyne engine and other US supplied equipment were replaced by European equivalents ; the more powerful Tyne engine also gave this variant superior " hot and high " performance . Libya placed an order for 20 Tyne - powered aircraft instead . Following Italian humanitarian missions in Bosnia and Somalia , in 1996 the AMI began undertaking a major update program on their G . 222 fleet ; modifications include compatibility with Night Vision Goggles to enable night operations , increasing the aircraft ' s self - defense capabilities , new communications and navigation systems , and the removal of obsolete equipment . In 1990 , the United States Air Force selected the G . 222 as the basis of a " Rapid - Response Intra - Theater Airlifter " ( RRITA ) . Operated under the designation " C - 27A Spartan " , ten G . 222s were purchased and underwent avionics upgrades by Chrysler Aerospace . These aircraft were stationed at Howard AFB , Panama . The USAF would later dispose of their C - 27A fleet , partly due to shifting priorities between the Army and the Air Force and partly because of the impending introduction of a newer variant , the Alenia C - 27J Spartan . Design . The G . 222 is a twin turboprop - engine tactical military transport aircraft , and is designed to be capable of transporting equipment or troops in combat zones and operating with minimal ground support . Due to features such as double - slotted flaps , stacked brakes , and reversible propellers , the G . 222 has excellent short landing capabilities and is able to land in as little as 1 , 800 feet . As the G . 222 has austere maintenance requirements and is able to operate from short , rough airstrips in remote regions , it has been heavily used in humanitarian missions across Africa , Europe and Central America . The G . 222 ' s cargo deck can carry up to 9 , 000 kg ( 19 , 840 lb ) of cargo or up to 53 troops ; additionally , it can be outfitted to perform medevac operations ; other specialist equipment can be added , such as for the signals intelligence role . The cargo deck has a large rear ramp , allowing the loading of palletised goods and vehicles , as well as doors to the sides capable of deploying paratrooper s . The height of the landing gear can be manually controlled to easily facilitate the loading of various cargos . The cockpit provides excellent external visibility for pilots , most of the key controls are centrally - placed between the two pilots . Some aircraft were fitted with refuelling probes and appropriate equipment to support aerial refuelling . Some Italian G . 222s have been equipped with a self - protection suite , which uses multiple forms of sensors to warn against identified threats , this suite also includes several countermeasures such as chaff and flare dispensers . Operational history . The G . 222 has seen considerable service in air relief and military supply operations . From 1979 onwards , Italy , along with other Western nations , provided considerable military aid to Somalia , part of the Italian contribution was four G . 222s . In 1982 , three Ejército Argentino G . 222s were operational during the Falklands War , and may have participated in a logistical capacity . In 1983 , a single Italian Air Force G . 222 was outfitted for fire suppression duties , alongside an existing C - 130 in the same role . On 3 September 1992 , an Italian Air Force ( " Aeronautica Militare Italiana " ) G . 222 was shot down when approaching Sarajevo airfield , while conducting a United Nations relief mission . It crashed from the airfield ; a NATO rescue mission was aborted when 2 USMC CH - 53 helicopters came under small arms fire . The cause of the crash was determined to be a surface to air missile , but it was not clear who shot it . Everyone on board - four Italian crew members and four French passengers - died in the crash . In 2005 , the Italian Air Force officially retired their fleet of G . 222s ; they were replaced by a newer variant , the C - 27J , which had originally been due to enter service in 2001 . In September 2008 , Alenia North America was awarded a USAF contract to upgrade and refurbish 18 G . 222s , to be tranferred to and used by the Afghan Air Force and Afghan National Army Air Corps . Ballistic protection , adaptions for serving in the conditions of Afghanistan , and many new avionics systems , including a digital auto - pilot , were installed ; two aircraft were also configured for VIP transport duties . In January 2013 , the USAF decided not to renew the support contract for the Afghan fleet due to claimed servicability issues and operational difficulties ; Alenia responded , stating that the fleet was exceeding the requirements laid out by the USAF , with 10 - 12 aircraft available for operations against the requirement for six .