The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has placed an order for four C-27J Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) from Leonardo.
Deliveries to the Royal Saudi Naval Forces are scheduled to begin in 2029.
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The MoD will receive the new aircraft for use in operations including submarine and sea surface threat response, search and rescue, and transport and airdrop tasks.
This procurement marks the first time that the C-27J MPA will be delivered with integrated maritime weapon system capability.
With this contract, Saudi Arabia becomes the 21st operator of the C-27J type worldwide, joining a roster of countries using the aircraft for various missions.
The Royal Saudi Naval Forces will gain platforms intended to address a range of requirements, from modern threat detection to supporting search and rescue operations.
The latest order follows a recent acquisition made in summer 2025, when Saudi authorities procured two C-27Js configured for firefighting, cargo transport, and medical evacuation purposes.
The C-27J MPA variant includes features from the C-27J Spartan Next Generation version. These include avionics, navigation, communications, identification, and self-protection systems designed for operations under various weather and lighting conditions in both military and civil airspace.
Its mission suite enables detection, identification, and tracking of surface and submarine targets, managed by the Leonardo Airborne Tactical Observation and Surveillance system with data fusion capabilities.
The communication systems support real-time data sharing with control centres and cooperation with other units beyond line of sight (BLOS).
Weapons payload options for the new aircraft include torpedoes, anti-ship missiles, and depth charges according to mission requirements.
The aircraft’s cabin can be reconfigured by removing certain mission equipment to perform standard transport or medical evacuation roles as needed.
C-27J aircraft assigned to maritime roles are already operated by other nations, with one notable user being the US Coast Guard.
