Finmeccanica contacts Northrop on US C27J contract

ROME, April 29 (Reuters) - Italian defence group Finmeccanica (SIFI.MI) has had contact with Northrop Grumman (NOC.N) about the possibility the U.S. contractor could become a partner in its C27J transport plane project for the U.S. military.

Giorgio Zappa, Finmeccanica's chief operating officer, said Northrop Grumman "is one of the contacts". Boeing (B.N) had originally been due to partner Finmeccanica in the contract for 78 planes, but withdrew. (Reporting by Deepa Babbington and Paolo Biondi)