Alenia and Lockheed Martin, partners in the C-27J Spartan transport, have called an unscheduled board meeting at Farnborough 2000 to resolve questions about the impact European aerospace consolidation is having on the program.

Lockheed Martin officials are finding themselves confused about whether the C-27J is part of the European EADS consortium or belongs to some entity that isn't being folded into EADS. Lockheed Martin and Alenia Aerospazio make up the C-27J consortium, called the Lockheed Martin Alenia Tactical Transport System, LMATTS.

Lockheed Martin officials say they have been given conflicting information concerning the industrial arrangement, having been told on different occasions that the program will and will not fall under EADS. But the U.S. officials aren't sure what arrangement would be possible under which the French, German, Spanish and Italian defense giant would subsume all of Alenia except the C-27J. And there is uncertainty over how -- if at all -- existing industrial arrangements will change if EADS is now the European partner for the project.

The C-27J is making its first appearance at Farnborough. Italy has said it will buy the aircraft that essentially features a G.222 fuselage with a pair of Rolls-Royce/Allison engines and other technologies from the four-engined Hercules C-130J.

The C-27J is about half the size and cost of the C-130J. LMATTS is pursuing other customers, with Greece seen as the leading candidate to place the second order.

By Robert Wall