C-27J tests over desert. (Digest).

The Lockheed Martin/Alenia C-27J NC 4115, the first of its kind off the production line, has completed a series of tests over the Saudi Arabian desert with a view to evaluating the capabilities of the aircraft in a high temperature environment. Temperatures of up to 48 [degrees] C were weathered during the tests without registering a single fault in the C-27J's operating systems. Following the harsh environment tests a cargo mission from Riyadh to the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) airbase included the Saudi pilot requesting permission to approach and land with a single engine. Permission granted, the aircraft carried out the manoeuvre satisfactorily. Another successful single engined test included a climbing phase to 9500 ft in six minutes. Over 45 hours of mission flight time was logged with no record of failures or weather-induced cancellations.