Defence minister signs deal in Rome to purchase transport aircraft

Rome – Defence Minister Matej Tonin signed an agreement on the purchase of a Spartan C-27J transport aircraft with his Italian counterpart Lorenzo Guerini in Rome on Wednesday.

The agreement on cooperation between the two defence ministries in aviation will allow Slovenia to purchase the aircraft as well as secure long-term cooperation to provide air transport capacity with the C-27J, the Defence Ministry said in a press release.

The value of the implementation agreement is roughly EUR 72 million, VAT included, where the basic price of the aircraft is EUR 48 million and the additional modules are valued at EUR 11 million.

The modules involved are for transport of cargo, for transport of people, infected persons, for transport of the injured and a module for areal firefighting.

The total value also includes logistic support, spare parts, crew training, use of simulators, technical paperwork and the the final certifying.

“The Spartan C-27J aircraft will serve not only the Slovenian Armed Forces but also Slovenia as a whole, for a variety of purposes ranging from medical purposes to natural disasters,” Minister Tonin was quoted as saying after signing the agreement.

“With the aircraft, we are guaranteeing our sovereignty and independence, and we will also be able to share it with other countries,” he added.

He said the deal also paved the way for other investments under the government-to-government system, which also ensures greater transparency of purchases.

More information about the agreement is to be presented at a virtual press conference on Thursday.

The aircraft’s maximum range is 5,852 kilometres. It will be able to carry up to 60 SAF personnel or up to 11.3 tonnes of cargo. The maximum speed it can reach is 602 kilometres per hour.

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