The C-27J program office of the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base ordered the precautionary suspension of flights involving the aircraft while the Air Force works with the plane’s prime contractor, L-3 Communications, and the manufacturer, Alenia Aermacchi, to identify and resolve the problem.
“We don’t know how long the stand-down will last,” Stefanek said.
President Obama’s proposed fiscal 2013 defense budget recommended elimination of the C-27 fleet, as a cost-cutting measure. Some members of Congress, including lawmakers from Ohio, have said they oppose that plan. The Ohio Air National Guard’s Mansfield base is home to a C-27J mission.
The Defense Department chose the C-27J in 2007 to fill airlift needs of the Air Force and Army. The Air Force flew two of the C-27Js in Afghanistan during the past year, before removing them from that country within the last month.
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