C-27J Spartan JCA #1 Successfully Completes First Flight in Italy.

WASHINGTON -- Alenia North America, a subsidiary of Alenia Aeronautica and part of the Finmeccanica Group, announced today that the first C-27J Spartan for the U.S. Army's Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) successfully completed its maiden flight at the Alenia facility in Turin, Italy.

"This is an outstanding achievement for the Alenia Aeronautica team in Italy and demonstrates Alenia's clear capability to achieve critical program milestones," said Giuseppe Giordo, president and chief executive officer of Alenia North America, Inc. "On this great day we also look forward to many more important milestones including the industrialization of the C-27J in the United States."

JCA #1 took off from Alenia's Caselle pant on Monday June 16 under poor weather conditions and remained in flight for 40 minutes. The flight included takeoff, functional checks and landing operations. This marks the beginning of a flight test campaign including approximately 70 hours of flight and 180 hours of ground tests. The preponderance of the tests will be conducted in Caselle.

The Joint Cargo Aircraft program selected the C-27J Spartan with Alenia as the aircraft manufacturer. The team (L-3 and Alenia) won the $2 billion contract in June 2007 for up to 78 aircraft for the U.S. Army and Air Force. Follow-on contracts, as well as international, foreign military and variant sales are expected to push the aircraft number over 200.

The C-27J Spartan has been in production in Italy since 2001, with deliveries to Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Lithuania. The C-27J has also been selected by Romania, with contract negotiations currently underway.

The C-27J is a mid-range, multifunctional and interoperable aircraft able to perform logistical re-supply, MEDEVAC, troop movement, airdrop operations, humanitarian assistance and homeland security missions for the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force. The C-27J will replace the U.S. Army's C-23 Sherpa, C-12 and C-26 aircraft and augment the U.S. Air Force's existing fleet of intratheater airlifters. The aircraft will play a key role in providing responsive aerial sustainment and critical re-supply support for the maneuver force to maintain operational momentum.

The C-27J Spartan is the latest in a successful tradition of military airlifters, including the C-27A Spartan and the G-222, which have been deployed by the United States, NATO, Coalition Forces, the United Nations and Italy in support of military and humanitarian operations in Albania, Armenia, Bosnia, Cambodia, Congo, Operations Desert Shield and Storm, East Timor, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Honduras, Kosovo, Libya, Mali, Panama, Rwanda, Somalia, Uganda and Yemen. C-27A Spartans currently are carrying out vital counter-drug activities for the United States in Central and South America.

About Alenia North America

Alenia North America is a subsidiary of Alenia Aeronautica and part of the Finmeccanica Group. Its mission is to further expand the industrial and commercial presence of the Alenia Group in North America. Alenia North America Inc. is headquartered in Washington, D.C. with offices in Seattle, Washington; Long Beach, California; and Fort Worth, Texas; and Smyrna, Georgia. Alenia North America - Canada, a subsidiary wholly owned by Alenia North America, has offices in Ottawa, Canada. Alenia North America is also a shareholder in several joint venture companies located in the United States. Global Aeronautica, a joint venture with The Boeing Company, located in North Charleston, South Carolina, performs significant integration and sub assembly work for the Boeing 787 program. Global Military Aircraft Systems (GMAS), a joint venture with L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, is a center of excellence to support the C-27J in North America. GMAS is headquartered in Madison, Mississippi. Alenia North America has recently announced its intent to establish a new final assembly and production facility for the C-27J in the U.S. The C-27J is the world leader in the twin engine military tactical aircraft market with 117 units sold worldwide. The C-27J was recently selected by the U.S. Army & Air Force for the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) Program.