The Coast Guard is expected to upgrade all of the C-27J multi-role aircraft it receives from the Air Force to help it meet various mission needs, the aircraft’s manufacturer Alenia Aermacchi said on Monday.

The Coast Guard is expected to receive 14 C-27Js from the Air Force and begin initial flight operations in the next six to 12 months, Alenia Aermacchi North America, a division of Italy’s Finmeccanica, said.

C-27J in Coast Guard colors. Photo. Alenia Aermacchi North America
C-27J in Coast Guard colors. Photo. Alenia Aermacchi North America

The transfer of the aircraft is being directed by Congress under the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (Defense Daily, Dec. 12, 2013). The law was signed by President Barack Obama on Dec. 26.

Alenia said that it expects the Coast Guard to “immediately begin the process for expanding the C-27J’s capabilities with tailored mission kits to include surface-search radars, electro-optical sensors and mission suites installed on all 14 planes.”

The Coast Guard is accepting the transfer of the C-27Js instead of purchasing additional HC-144A maritime patrol aircraft from Airbus Group. The service has 18 HC-144As on order and has received 15 of the aircraft so far.

The requirement calls for 36 of the HC-144A patrol planes but a Coast Guard official said in December that the transfer of the C-27Js will close out the mission gap for the service’s medium-range surveillance planes.

The C-27Js will be used to meet Medium-Range Surveillance aircraft operational requirements, which does mean there will be modifications to meet mission needs, the Coast Guard’s program manager told Defense Daily via email. However, the exact missionization plans, timelines and strategy aren’t concrete yet and must await approval of an FY ’14 appropriations bill, the program manager said.

The aircraft will be used for missions such as maritime patrol, drug and migrant interdiction, disaster response, and search and rescue.

“The C-27J will play an important role in improving the response capability and operational effectiveness of the Coast Guard and generating significant cost savings for the taxpayer,” Benjamin Stone, president and CEO of Alenia Aermacchi North America, said in a statement. “The C-27J will provide the Coast Guard with greater range, endurance, speed and payload capacity than other twin turboprops in its inventory, and the capability to perform both medium and long-range missions.”

Vice Adm. John Currier, the vice commandant of the Coast Guard, told Congress in December that the cost of acquiring the remaining 18 HC-144As is between $500 million and $600 million. However, he said, there is no funding identified in out-year budgets to complete the HC-144 acquisition.