Defence

Morocco is the latest customer announced by Alenia Aeronautica for its C-27J Spartan tactical transport, confirming that it has signed a €130 million ($175 million) deal to supply the north African nation with four aircraft.

Speculation of a fresh order had mounted over recent weeks, with Morocco among several African nations rumoured as the potential new customer, along with Algeria, Libya and Tunisia.

Finmeccanica company Alenia confirmed the sale on 23 October. It says its orderbook for the C-27J now stands at 121 aircraft, with previous buyers including Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Romania and the USA.

Morocco's current transport inventory includes six EADS Casa CN-235s and 15 Lockheed Martin C-130Hs, according to Flight's MiliCAS database.