Defense company Leonardo has been contracted to provide four C-27J maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has increased the number of C-27Js, following the recent (Summer 2025) in-country acquisition of two units dedicated to firefighting, cargo transport and medical evacuation tasks. It also marks the first time the C-27J MPA is procured with maritime weapon system integration capability.
Further evidence of the platform’s versatility is its ability to combine transport, disaster response and multi-domain surveillance capabilities. The C-27J MPA retains all the features and capabilities of the C-27J Spartan next-generation platform, including its avionics, navigation, communication, identification, and self-protection systems.
The C-27J MPA integrates a dedicated mission suite, including sensors optimized for detection, identification, and tracking of surface and submarine targets, managed by an advanced mission management system (the Leonardo airborne tactical observation and surveillance system) with data fusion capabilities.
A complete communication system allows real-time data sharing with control centres and secures cooperation with other units, also in beyond line of sight (BLOS) conditions, according to Leonardo.
Moreover, in addition to its maritime patrol and surveillance capabilities, the C-27J MPA can carry a significant weapons payload to counter multiple threats, including torpedoes, anti-ship missiles and depth charges in accordance with the specific mission needs.
Leonardo noted that by removing the mission management system consoles and other components of the mission suite, the C-27J MPA cabin can be easily reconfigured to perform the transport, airdrop and medical evacuation missions typical of the baseline C-27J Spartan.
Deliveries to the Royal Saudi Naval Forces are expected to start in 2029.