AEROMEDIA
The Italian Aerospace Information Web
by Aeromedia - corso Giambone 46/18 - 10135 Torino (Italy)

The C-27J flew with the MAFFS II fire control system

In early May, the tireless C-27J demonstrator N.C. 4033, began a flight test cycle in its new Fire Fighter configuration, equipped with the United Aeronautical Corporation's second-generation MAFFS II (Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System).
The possibility of using this roll-on/roll-off system is envisaged in the Italian-Slovenian intergovernmental agreements signed on November 17, 2021. As part of this collaboration, the Slovenian Air Force has already received the first C-27J NG, ordered on March 31, 2022, and ordered a second in November 2023, with delivery scheduled for 2024.
The MAFFS II module represents the most modern system for extinguishing fires from the air. It can carry up to 8,000 liters of water or 7,600 liters of retardant liquid. It is equipped with a discharge nozzle that protrudes from the left side door and is normally activated at altitudes between 500 and 1,500 feet. The system operates at a pressure of 689 kPa to ensure optimal dispersion and rapid discharge. It takes only eight minutes to refill the tank with liquids. During firefighting, the discharge can be split into two stages, each with half the total quantity. The MAFFS II can be easily installed or removed in about 90 minutes by a team of four people. This allows the C-27J NG to be quickly converted to the configuration required for the next operational mission.

In the picture: Alenia Aermacchi C-27J Spartan C.S.X.62127 (N.C. 4033), carrying the MAFFS II system, landing at Turin/Caselle Airport on May 10, 2024. The first flight tests did not include the discharge of water or retardant liquids. (Aeromedia)

(Aeromedia, November 2024)