{"id":40224,"date":"2019-12-25T16:00:13","date_gmt":"2019-12-25T16:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/12\/25\/this-tiny-transport-aircraft-is-getting-a-makeover\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:23:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:23:00","slug":"this-tiny-transport-aircraft-is-getting-a-makeover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2019\/12\/25\/this-tiny-transport-aircraft-is-getting-a-makeover\/","title":{"rendered":"This tiny transport aircraft is getting a makeover"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. \u2014 The U.S. Air Force is set to complete a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/01\/30\/congressman-trying-to-save-small-colorado-air-force-squadron\/\" target=\"_blank\">major upgrade of its C-21 fleet<\/a> in 2020, officials told Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The service operates a total of 19 C-21 aircraft, a militarized version of the Learjet 35A business jet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2019\/10\/31\/maintainers-under-pressure-to-keep-doomsday-plane-flying-after-flood-wreaks-havoc-do-not-post\/\" target=\"_blank\">used primarily for executive transport<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force intends to spend about $38 million to refresh the planes\u2019 avionics suite, including replacing the analog cockpit with a digital version and adding a suite of new systems that allow it to meet Federal Aviation Administration requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eleven C-21s have gone through the modernization process, with the remaining eight jets set to go through the process by July 2020, said Maj. Kirk Schlueter, the 375th Operations Group chief of standards and evaluations.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2019\/12\/13\/the-air-force-needs-more-tankers-could-the-defense-industry-have-the-answer\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5935403.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">The US Air Force needs more tankers. Does the defense industry have the answer?<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Air Force is planning an industry day to find out more about whether defense companies can take over certain aerial refueling missions.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Schlueter spoke with Defense News during a December visit to Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, which owns a total of 14 C-21s after four jets from Andrews Air Force Base were transferred to the 458th Airlift Squadron in June. The other five aircraft are operated by the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The avionics upgrades include a new weather radar, flight-management system and certain FAA-required air traffic control systems like ADS-B. Those improvements open up the number of approaches available to pilots while landing, and also allow the aircraft to fly at higher altitudes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While designing the new digital cockpit, the Air Force modified the layout of flight instruments and displays to make it more similar to other military aircraft, which will help ease the transition for young pilots moving from the C-21 to other Air Force planes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;I actually flew with about a 70- year-old Lear[jet] guy last week, and he goes: \u2018Your instruments are backwards.\u2019 And I said: &#8216;Yeah, that\u2019s how we wanted it,\u2019 \u201d Schlueter said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While usually used by military officials for travel, C-21 operators pride themselves on offering a more rugged form of transport, as the jet is outfitted to perform aeromedical evacuation and regularly spends time over the skies of the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of Scott AFB\u2019s jets is usually deployed to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar at any given time to provide a flexible transportation option to military leaders needing to move quickly to bases around U.S. Central Command\u2019s area of responsibility, said Lt. Col. Brooke Matson, commander of the 458th Airlift Squadron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe offer the most precious of resources that NetJets or Delta can never offer. Our pilots go into combat zones,\u201d she said. \u201cOur airplane is small and nimble and can go into contested environments \u2014 degraded GPS, for example. We have equipment on our aircraft that the average commercial airplane does not have, like military GPS.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Usually, four aircrew and nine maintainers deploy to CENTCOM to operate and support the C-21, and the aircraft are swapped out one or two times per year, Matson said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Upgrades to the U.S. Air Force&#8217;s C-21 fleet should wrap up in 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